Two NCS Leaders Appointed to Head Independent Schools Next Year
A LETTER FROM HEAD OF SCHOOL KATHLEEN JAMIESON
While this is a wonderful time of year full of festivities for the holidays, it is also an important time in the school world when people are making decisions about the next academic year. You will not be surprised to learn that two NCS leaders have been appointed as heads of their own schools.
A LETTER FROM HEAD OF SCHOOL KATHLEEN JAMIESON
December 2004
Dear NCS Parents, Trustees, Alumnae, Faculty, and Friends,
While this is a wonderful time of year full of festivities for the holidays, it is also an important time in the school world when people are making decisions about the next academic year. You will not be surprised to learn that two NCS leaders have been appointed as heads of their own schools.
After 14 years of devoted service to NCS, Assistant Head of School and Director of the Upper School Martha Cutts has been appointed to head Agnes Irwin School in Rosemont, PA. Located about 10 miles west of Philadelphia, Agnes Irwin was founded in 1869 and is an all-girls, K–12 day school. Their student body numbers approximately 650 students with nearly 100 faculty members.
Martha’s tenure at NCS coincides with the development of many of our most important initiatives. Her committee work is legendary and is reflected in the excellent programs enjoyed by our students. Martha developed the Learning and the Brain Group, which is a thriving hub of faculty professional development focused on individual learners and related curricular issues. She is responsible for improved communication with parents and the beginning of Upper School parent conferences. Her leadership of the Junior Year Committee is evident in the many refinements of Upper School expectations. Most important, Martha leads a faculty of extraordinary teachers who see in her the values we hold dear at NCS. Her compassion, integrity, and generosity set the example for others to follow.
Martha is regionally and nationally recognized as well. She single-handedly spearheaded a local effort by 18 independent school division directors to generate a strategy to assist parents in managing college pressures. In addition, she has lent her expertise to many national organizations including the Council on Gender in Independent Schools, the National Association for Single-Sex Public Education, and the National Association of Independent Schools. Martha is a remarkable woman, one I have counted on as a wise advisor, thoughtful educator, and dear friend since the day I began at NCS.
Penny Work has also been chosen to lead a wonderful independent school in Orange, VA. Founded in 1947, Grymes Memorial School is a coed, pre-K–8 day school with 160 students nestled in the Virginia Piedmont.
As a student, an alumna, a parent, and faculty member, NCS has been Penny’s home for more than three decades. In each role Penny distinguished herself as a leader, a scholar, and a devoted teacher. In her18 years as a faculty member at NCS, Penny has served NCS in a number of significant capacities, including Chair of the History Department, Coordinator of the 2002 Strategic Planning Committee, Chairman of the Curriculum Committee, Chair of the NCS Chapter of Cum Laude, Alumnae Editor of the NCS magazine, Alumnae Annual Giving Chair, and Faculty Representative to the NCS Governing Board. She has taught everything from world history to ethics to Biblical themes in literature, and is universally recognized as a beloved teacher and advisor. Penny’s recent sponsorship of the It’s Academic team resulted in a resounding win, tallying up more points than the NCS team has ever earned. I have come to count on her late afternoon stops by my office with a good story or good ideas on school issues.
We have retained the services of Educators’ Collaborative, an executive search firm, to initiate a national search for a new Assistant Head and Director of the Upper School. The firm has ten associates, all former heads of school, and their clients include independent schools from across the country. They are already at work to identify the most qualified candidates to fill this important position for this exceptional school. We have also initiated a search for a new history teacher.
We will keep you posted as our searches proceed this winter, and we will surely invite you this spring to celebrate Penny and Martha’s contributions to National Cathedral School. In the meantime, both women are devoted to completing this year with your daughters with their trademark care and commitment.
I look forward to bringing the community together to honor Penny and Martha!