news-record.com

From an early age, Burns Jones wanted to go to law school. As a teen, he worked for a small-town attorney, but then he worked at a boarding school in Connecticut after college and loved it.

"My lifelong ambition for law won out, but I never felt settled in the practice," said Jones, who went on to complete law school and practice law for two years. "I struggled with whether the legal profession was something I could remain committed to long-term; I realized to be happy, I needed to go back to education."

Jones, 36 , became a teacher and independent school administrator and was most recently named head of school at Canterbury School in Greensboro. His first day was June 30 . Before coming to Greensboro he was head of the Intermediate/Middle School at Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, an independent K-12 Episcopal day school in Columbia, S.C. , where he also taught and coached.

Jones, his wife Elizabeth, and 2 1/2-year-old son, Wyatt , are excited about being back in North Carolina. The family lived in Asheville for a while and fell in love with the state.

"I've found Greensboro to be a beautiful city," he said. "There's a sense of progress here, and the fine colleges and universities here add to its attractiveness."

Jones also is looking forward to his work at Canterbury.

"Canterbury is a school I had heard a lot about; its reputation is known outside of Greensboro," he said. "After I was involved in the search process, I realized pretty quickly that the values Canterbury holds as a school match my values: high academic standards, high standards of conduct and behavior, a commitment to the standards of the Episcopalian educational philosophy and a commitment to a diverse student body and faculty."

Jones said he immediately felt drawn to the school.

"There's a feel you get immediately when you set foot here - a sense of community and hospitality," he said. "Each student is known and plays an important role."

He believes his background in law and growing up the son of an Episcopalian priest, as well as his educational experience, is still shaping the educator he is today.

"My philosophy as an educator constantly changes as my own experiences change," Burns said.

"I believe strongly that independent schools have a responsibility to know each student well so they can figure out what each child needs from that school, and I believe Episcopal schools are able to commit to the spiritual and ethical, which is vital to the complete education of a child."

Ed Winslow , president of the school's board of trustees , said all trustees and the members of the search committee agreed wholeheartedly in selecting Jones to lead Canterbury.

"All of us believe Burns has unique strength of character, a firm spiritual grounding and proven leadership and communication skills that will make him very successful here," Winslow said.

"We believe that he feels particularly called to and compatible with Canterbury, our people and our mission."

Jones said his first order of business is to learn as much as possible about Canterbury and Greensboro and meet those affiliated with the school.

"I need to investigate and understand the ethos and spirit of Canterbury better, and I need to build a sense of trust by listening a lot," he said.

He also hopes to continue to help the school's endowment fund grow, especially for financial aid, and is excited about the school's new $3 million arts building, which should be completed this fall.

"My fundamental goal for Canterbury is to ensure the school continues to provide the best education for our students," Jones said.

Contact Jennifer Atkins Brown at 574-5582 or jennifer.brown@news-record.com.