When looking for a school community to join as Head of School back in 2016, I was very focused on what I believed made for an exceptional school. I wanted it to be filled with faculty and staff who felt—as I did and still do—that there is no better, more important, or fulfilling work to do than to teach young people and support them in their growth. I wanted it to be a community in which the parents and the school worked closely together in support of those young people. And I wanted it to be a close-knit caring community filled with excitement about learning together.

I found all of that at Ellis. All of that depends on people—sharing a mission, sharing a commitment to our students and to each other, and sharing a desire to be a connected and strong community.

I am so deeply grateful to everyone in the Ellis community.  

To our alumnae: 

Confident, bright, without artifice—you are out there making a difference in the world in so many different ways. Thank you for staying connected with us, and for all the ways in which you support the school. We want it to always feel like home to you.

To our current and former trustees from our Board of Directors:

You work so hard on behalf of Ellis and your efforts are often invisible to the rest of the school community. Thank you for the countless hours you’ve given to the school, for all the ways in which you support Ellis, and for all the ways in which you’ve supported and helped me these last seven years.

To the parents and guardians whose children attend Ellis now or have in the past:

Thank you for trusting us with your most precious thing—your children. It has been such an enormous joy and privilege to get to know them, to laugh and work and play with them, and to watch them grow. Thank you for your support and your partnership.  

To our faculty and staff:

I have been so honored to get to work with you these past seven years. You are an incredibly talented group of individuals and I’ve never known people to care as much as you do about your students, and about each other. I am so incredibly proud of the work you do—you are what make Ellis, Ellis. This school absolutely would not be the amazing place it is without you.

And finally, to our students:

You are why all of us at Ellis come to school every day. Your curiosity and joy of learning brightens our days. I have loved watching you tussle with new ideas, build friendships, work—and play—hard, and grow to become your own best selves while learning together in community. You are amazing young people, and I know you will all do remarkable things, each in your own wonderful way.

People have been asking me what I will miss about Ellis when I retire. The answer is an easy and simple one for me: it is the people. I would be feeling sad about leaving if I didn’t know that you all will continue to work hard to maintain the amazing commitment and sense of community that exists here. And I know that you will help your next head of school, Tambi Tyler, see, feel and understand that commitment and sense of community as you welcome and support her when she arrives.

My husband, Peter, and I will be heading back to St. Louis—our home town—come July. But I can’t wait to watch the ways in which Ellis continues to be such an important and special place. Thank you for making this feel so like home for me these last seven years.