Christian Hairston-Randleman: Director of Student Support and Wellness
Story by Melody Guyton Butts | Photo by Kate Auger
As director of Durham Academy’s Preschool for the last nine years, Christian Hairston-Randleman has supported hundreds of students — and their families — at the start of their formal academic journeys. She’s wiped away pre-kindergartners’ separation-anxiety-induced tears on the first days of school. She’s cheered on kindergartners as they triumphed over challenges to reach reading milestones. She’s served as a partner to parents and caregivers in supporting students’ social-emotional development.
And now — as Durham Academy’s first-ever director of student support and wellness — Hairston-Randleman will apply her holistic perspective on student well-being to her work with the entire student body, from those familiar Preschool faces to seniors in the Upper School.
In this new role — aligned with DA’s Strategic Vision, which calls for meeting the needs of all learners, among other goals — Hairston-Randleman will supervise, support and coordinate the work of the counseling, learning support and health teams. And as a member of DA’s Administrative Team, she will serve as an advocate for these dedicated professionals and the students they serve.
Hairston-Randleman, who will chair the schoolwide Wellness Committee, will also partner with athletic trainers, the Upper School ASSIST Team (which helps students address substance use) and other faculty in relation to student support and wellness.
“Christian has led our Preschool with purpose and passion since 2015 — strengthening the faculty, renovating most aspects of the curriculum, and building a reputation as a truth-teller, team-builder and calm, courageous colleague even in the midst of contentious conversations,” Head of School Michael Ulku-Steiner said in an email announcing her appointment.
He explained that the need for the new position was made clear by the work of two groups: the Strategic Vision Design Team 1 (focused on the goal of “Preparing Our Students for Life”), which researched and identified steps to strengthen DA’s social-emotional learning curriculum; and the schoolwide Wellness Committee, which focused on addressing students’ growing mental health needs.
Hairston-Randleman’s résumé and educational background have prepared her well for the role. A former public school principal, she holds three degrees from UNC-Chapel Hill: a B.A. in Child Development and Family Studies, a Master of School Administration, and an M.Ed. in early childhood intervention and family support. She is nearing completion of a Ph.D. program in school psychology at Liberty University. Hairston-Randleman also has unique insight into the DA experience through her three sons — Bryant ’19, Brent ’21 and Brett ’27.
As Hairston-Randleman began to transition from her role in the Preschool (learn about incoming Preschool Director Carolyn Howes in another piece from the Summer 2024 issue) to her new schoolwide role, she took some time to answer some questions about what lies ahead.
Q: What are your plans for your first year in your new role as director of student support and wellness?
A: In my first year, I plan to spend time better understanding the student experiences on our Middle and Upper School campuses. While I’ve navigated both divisions as a parent and work closely with both Jon [Meredith, director of the Middle School] and Lanis [Wilson, director of the Upper School] as fellow division directors, I have spent the majority of the past nine years on the Preschool/Lower School campus with our youngest learners.
I also look forward to bringing together our learning support, counseling and health teams across divisions and under one department. This is a pivotal step in aligning our work of supporting the whole child and moving forward our vision of meeting the needs of our learners.
Q: What does the establishment of this position as part of the school’s Administrative Team signal about DA’s values and goals?
A: The creation of this position is one of many ways Durham Academy has invested in the aim to support our students. It is also a clear signal that we are prioritizing our commitment to not only their academic growth, but also their physical and mental wellness. In the past few years, Durham Academy has substantially grown our learning support team and added a part-time Preschool counselor.
Each of these changes better positions our faculty to address individual student needs and engage in work that creates pathways to access, dismantles barriers and integrates the academic, social, emotional and physical well-being of our students.
Q: How has DA’s infrastructure for student support and wellness changed over time?
A: In so many ways! I am so proud of our work. Over the last few years, we have increased our learning support team from two to seven faculty members, and we have added a part-time Preschool counselor, a sexual health educator and a full-time health director. We have made schedule changes for the good of our students and have prioritized professional development related to wellness. And we have taken strides to clearly articulate the level and type of supports we offer in tandem with providing parent/caregiver education opportunities.
Each of these individual acts is part of a collective effort to integrate structures of support across our students’ 14-year journey and to create more streamlined, strategic and holistic systems of support for our students and families.
Q: What inspired this shift from leading the Preschool division to focusing on student support and wellness schoolwide?
A: I absolutely love the Preschool! For nine years I have spoken of the magic of this division, and that has not changed. My love and focus have simply expanded.
Early in my tenure at Durham Academy, I became interested in the ways in which we support our students. At that time, my position included classroom teaching responsibilities, and one of my students was struggling significantly. She was having difficulty mastering the academic content, which negatively impacted her sense of self and led to a lack of confidence.
As I partnered with her family to help navigate these challenges, it quickly became apparent that our “toolbox” was limited. During those early years, we did not have learning support coaches — and we only had two learning specialists, who served our entire student body. I saw the need for more. How do we create more inclusive environments? How do we improve systems of support? Where are our blind spots? Where is the intersection between the ways that we currently support students and a more comprehensive and cohesive approach?
These are all questions that I considered then and have continued to consider over the years. As my interest grew, I applied and was accepted into a Ph.D. program in psychology. I’ve spent the last three years diving into classes and trainings related to assessment, intervention, differential diagnosis, educational research, evidence-informed practice and more. My research centers around frameworks of support in independent school settings.
My first group of pre-kindergarten students are now seventh-graders. As I’ve watched their growth from afar, I’ve often supported them and their families through informal channels — suggestions, venting sessions, recommendations, pep talks, and/or reassurance. I have taken advantage of every opportunity to remain connected to their journeys. This position allows me to work across divisions with the entire student body and all DA faculty in the ambitious pursuit of Goal 2 of our Strategic Vision: meeting the needs of our learners. I consider it a privilege that my skill set and interests have aligned with an institutional need, and I look forward to leading this work!