Tony Paulus goes to the head of the class at Canterbury School

Paulus COURTESY PHOTO Head of School Tony Paulus brings more than 20 years in administration at college preparatory schools from Ann Arbor, Mich., to Istanbul, Turkey, to the campus of Canterbury School in Fort Myers.

As the new headmaster leading the private, pre-kindergarten through 12th grade school into its 50th year, Mr. Paulus says he is eager to reinforce Canterbury traditions and to establish strong ties between the school and his new community through partnerships with Florida Gulf Coast University, Edison State College and The Edison and Ford Winter Estates.

For three years prior to stepping to the head of the class at Canterbury, Mr. Paulus was general director of the prestigious Koc School in Istanbul. At the school known for being a leader in educational reform, he oversaw a student body of 2,000, taught a course in leadership and counseled students in the college application and decision process.

He also served as head of school at Greenhills School, an independent middle and upper school in Ann Arbor, Mich., and was also the head at the Menlo School in Atherton, Calif., which educates students in grades 6-12. During his tenure at Greenhills, the University of Michigan named the school one of the top two college preparatory schools in the state. Mr. Paulus is a member of PiLambda Theta National Honor and Professional Association in Education, the Cum Laude Society and has served on the executive committees of the Association of Independent Michigan Schools and the California Association of Independent Schools.

While he was at Greenhills and at Koc, Mr. Paulus took each school through the process of planning and building a performing arts center. He looks forward to the possibility of doing the same at Canterbury School, where a new upper school campus was completed last year. "A performing arts complex will be the perfect complement and will be something… utilized by the entire school and possibly by the Southwest Florida community," he said.

He also worked closely with the college guidance departments at Greenhills and at Koc, and he is excited about the college admission program at Canterbury.

"A strong college counseling program is essential to successful independent schools," he said, adding, "Each student receives one-on-one attention so he or she can gain admittance to the college or university best suited to that child. We look at things like the size of the school as well as the academic strengths and specialties.

Guidance counselors develop strong relationships with colleges and universities. Because of this, college admission departments are familiar with the type of education received at prep schools and they can see students from certain schools fare well. This paves the way for students to be considered for admission.

Canterbury, he added, is known by universities and colleges for graduating students who excel and who are leaders.

When he arrived at Canterbury, Mr. Paulus inherited a spirited and winning athletics department. He enjoys watching the games and getting to know the athletes, and he is proud of Canterbury's fall sports season that included winning the districts in boys' soccer and girls' volleyball, having Canterbury's top female golfer, Michelle Shin, place second in the state championships, and having the boys' and girls' swimming teams grow in size and do very well in competition.

Originally from Redlands, Calif., Mr. Paulus moved to Massachusettes for his high school years and attended the Deerfield Academy. He returned to the warmth of California to attend Standford University where he received a B.A. in English. He received a master's in education from Boston University.

Mr. Paulus and his wife, Marnie, who holds a master's degree in historic preservation, have purchased a circa-1920s house near the Edison and Ford Winter Estates. On Sept. 21, they returned to Istanbul for the 20th anniversary celebration of The Koc School and the release of The Koc School's first history, which was written by Mrs. Paulus.

The Paulus's children attended Greenhills School in Michigan. Jenny, 27, graduated from Vassar College in New York, and Will, 23, graduated from Washington University in St. Louis. Both live in California. Will works for Google and Jenny for Patagonia clothing.

"When we visited Fort Myers for the first time," said Mr. Paulus, "we toured the Edison/Ford Estates during the Holiday House. We're looking forward to seeing the grounds again during the upcoming holidays." Tony and Marnie Paulus take advantage of the weather to kayak, ride bicycles, play golf, take walks on the beach and enjoy all things done outdoors. "A few weekends ago, we went on a swamp walk," Mr. Paulus smiled said. "From the environment to the history to the students and faculty at Canterbury School — everything we've seen and done in Southwest Florida has exceeded our expectations!"