Ben Stumpf ’88

Computer Science Department Head

Annie McGarry poses for her headshot during the "Annual Head Tour Guide Photoshoot" outside the Chapel on Sep. 13, 2021. (Photo by Nicholas Pfosi)

How long have you worked at Concord Academy?

I have worked at CA for 21 years as a Visual Arts teacher and head of the Computer Science Department.

What other areas of involvement at CA do you have?

I’m an affiliate in Admadjaja House, a student advisor, Head Coach of the girls’ soccer program, Assistant Coach of the all-gender Ultimate team, and a club advisor for Model UN, Programming Club, and Gender Representation in Technology.

What classroom memories do you cherish?

My favorite classes are the ones that involve collaborative projects. A recent favorite is an augmented reality history tour exploring different eras of Concord history, created through a partnership between my students and History Teacher Kim Frederick’s. In addition, I’m proud of the Feature Film projects my postproduction students edited from the wonderful filmmaking talents of Justin Bull and his students. Justin and I teach our students the art, craft, and technology of cinema and they get to experience what hands-on filmmaking is really like.

What is your favorite CA tradition?

This year marks the 20th anniversary of CAMUN, CA’s annual Model United Nations conference, attended by 200-plus delegates from 20-plus New England schools. The skills the students learn in Model UN stay with them for a lifetime; the head of 

our most recent CAMUN conference just reached out to me to share the exciting news that they’ve begun an internship with the UN. I also love our fall and spring Film Assemblies. As I watch each student’s film, I get to witness their genuine talent as a storyteller, spanning a range of genres from humorous to poignant stories. It’s beautiful and incredibly moving.

What do you enjoy about being a house faculty member?

It’s great to see students pursue passions beyond my class, whether it’s cooking a meal with their friends in the common room, shooting hoops in the SHAC, or building a snowman outside our house. It’s like a permanent sleepover party. I love to be around the students’ curious, caring, creative, self-motivated, and funny energy.

What is a fun fact about you?

During the pandemic, my daily routine was biking through the woods to see the sunset!