Zack Hayden has been part of the Oxford Family for nearly two decades. You might know him as our Dean of Faculty, English teacher, soccer coach, longtime founding member of Club Sustain, defensive stalwart during student/faculty soccer games, and a reliable friend for students and faculty alike.
Favorite spot on campus? The Opatrny Dining Hall. It is a great space on its own but it is how the space gets used that make it special to me. Whether it’s a Wednesday snack break or the 100 Nights Dinner, the dining hall for me is a place where delicious food and fun communal times bring together some of Oxford’s special ingredients. Thinking of feeding my two teenage children Norah and Miles, there in high chairs seems like only yesterday.
What I like most about Oxford is..
Being in a place, and around people, where a meaningful sense of purpose actually determines how we spend each day. It is a community of genuine people.
Particular moment when I first realized Oxford is a special place was... When Kate and I showed up early on a Sunday morning from Washington D.C. with our life in a Uhaul, and Phil Davis, the Head of School at the time, was there instantly lifting boxes and talking about our new home, not my new job.
Favorite meal from Chef Dave? Jambalaya
A favorite project I've done with students: Building a ground pit forge with a student to mold and cast miniature oxygen tanks for a Mt. Everest display he was building to accompany his reading of Into Thin Air. I also have to mention a student led production of a short film version of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. If anyone out there saved that video footage, I want it!
Something that not many people know about me: I’m still only about 49% convinced that an NBA career is out of reach for me.
