Late founder’s ‘magic sauce’ kept Paideia School going for 50-plus years

On Saturday evening, U.S. Sen. John Ossoff, D-Ga., and his wife, Alisha, praised Bianchi for his tireless commitment to education in a public statement.

“His decades of dedicated work shaped thousands of lives for the better and contributed in profound ways to communities in Georgia and to the world,” Ossoff’s statement read.

Bianchi believed that “good schools are not about buildings or philosophical statements — they are built around great teachers and bright and interesting people who like children and enjoy learning,” The Paideia School said in its public statement.

Bianchi was passionate about creating a positive, progressive and inclusive culture at the school. An inscription on a plaque dedicated to Bianchi on the Paideia campus encapsulates Bianchi’s values.

“The magic sauce is a school culture that regards children optimistically and joyously, as well as celebrates the teachers who create the school every day,” reads the plaque.

The plaque sits underneath a metal sculpture of a hand holding an eraser, which represents a beloved school tradition Bianchi started. Each year, Bianchi threw an eraser into a crowd of students. The one who caught it was destined — like him — to become a teacher. The tradition has since been continued by the school’s new head, Tom Taylor.

Credit: Courtesy of the Paideia School

Credit: Courtesy of the Paideia School

Bianchi and his wife of 57 years, Barbara Dunbar, were both dedicated educators. The couple met as undergraduate students in Massachusetts, where they bonded over a shared passion for teaching.

They married in 1967, then moved to Atlanta to teach at The Galloway School. In 1971, at just 25 years old, Bianchi was recruited to help launch a new school across town. Bianchi accepted the role with his characteristic wit, humor and humility.

“Let the record reflect that I was selected from a list on which there were no other candidates to head up a school that had no buildings, no faculty, no students and no money,” he once said, according to the school.

Over the course of five decades, Bianchi developed Paideia into a prestigious private school. In 2023, the school received the highest number of Scholastic Art and Writing Awards of any private school in the state and had the second-highest number of National Merit Scholars in Georgia.

In his familial life, Bianchi was a father of three daughters and had eight grandkids.

“He made lunches, attempted ponytails and was a devoted Paideia sports fan, particularly when his daughters were on the field,” read Paideia’s statement. “… He loved being a grandparent. He was a devoted letter writer, sending homesick grandchildren daily letters at camp. … He reminded them, as he reminded everyone, ‘Take your work seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously.’”

This story has been updated. A previous version misidentified where Bianchi attended university.