DOUG WONG

Associate Director of Upper School Doug Wong describes himself as thoughtful, approachable, easy-going, inquisitive, and open-minded. He’s also a spreadsheet wizard, dinosaur enthusiast, and the rare adult who can read ancient inscriptions while managing six lunch lines and a horde of hungry students with a smile.

Doug was raised in the Boston area, and his grandfather’s American Chinese restaurants, Tiki Port and Tiki Island, were at the heart of his childhood. He has fond memories of spending time with him, sampling tasty dishes in the warming area, and working the take-out counter in the summers. The restaurants are a big reason Doug loves to cook today. He and his wife Debbie (who spends her days repatriating and returning stolen art to the country of origin—how cool is that?), take their one-year-old daughter, Chloe, to the Old Town farmers market every Saturday to have Hog Haven breakfast sandwiches and to do a little shopping for the week. Augie, their three-year-old Corgi, supervises all activities with mild jealousy over the attention Chloe receives.

Growing up, Doug loved ancient history and mythology and decided to pursue Classical Studies and archaeology, attending Colby College for his bachelor’s and Columbia University for his master’s. Ancient languages, Greek tragedy, Latin inscriptions—he loved it all. As an undergrad, he was a research assistant on an archaeological project in Greece that provided his first excavation experience, where he was able to handle artifacts thousands of years old. He’s been to many ancient sites, but if he could time-travel he’d wing his way to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the Library of Alexandria to see all the literature that was lost!

Doug’s passions flow into his Latin classroom. He loves the logic behind the language and the moment when students suddenly “see” the systems beneath it. He tries to anchor the ancient world in today’s issues—debates about governance, wealth, and society that echo across centuries—and brings in architecture, coins, and sculpture to keep the past tangible.

As associate director, Doug jokes that his ability to read Latin inscriptions is the key to reading all types of student handwriting. As a lover of language, he enjoys keeping up with slang but holds a couple of Greek phrases as personal mottos: µηδὲν ἄγαν (nothing in excess) and Γνῶθι σεαυτόν (know thyself). When it comes to relating to mythology, he says he sometimes fully understands Sisyphus rolling the giant boulder up the hill, only for it to roll back down right before he gets to the top.

He thinks our Upper School students might be most surprised to learn that he secretly enjoys managing the lunch lines, because he gets to see everyone, every day. But he says the most meaningful moments come during quiet conversations with students who are seeking help academically. Supporting them to find their footing and seeing their grades and skills improve is the most rewarding part of his job.

When he’s not teaching, leading, cooking, or parenting a toddler and dreaming of sleep, Doug is a fan of Moneyball (“how can you not be romantic about baseball?”), the HBO series “Rome,” and, historical accuracy aside, “Gladiator,” as it really solidified his love of Rome. Sesame Street music currently dominates his Spotify account. He’s rereading the Dune series and finished “Dune Messiah” in one sitting. His hidden talent? En garde! His high school fencing team won first place at the state championship!

Spend a little time around Doug and it becomes clear why students gravitate toward him. He listens, he laughs easily, and he truly enjoys learning about their interests, weekends, and how their day is going through authentic conversations. For someone who loves the ancient world, he has a remarkable talent for making the present, and future, feel brighter.