Dear Lamplighter Community,

We are pleased to offer an update on Lamplighter’s search for our next Catherine M. Rose Head of School.

In the final days of June, our consultants from Carney, Sandoe & Associates, Marsha Little and Kim Peeples, experienced an engaging day on campus. They met with more than 60 community members, including faculty, staff, administrators, parents, students, and trustees. We deeply appreciate the time, insight, and enthusiasm that so many of you brought to the conversation about the School’s next chapter.

The Head of School position description, which you can see here, owes much to your participation in Marsha and Kim’s visit to Lamplighter and the corresponding online community survey. Over the coming weeks, Marsha and Kim will share this document with potential candidates, inviting them into further conversation about what makes Lamplighter so special.

The survey results and campus visit conversations reveal a high level of consistency across constituencies as to what they value about Lamplighter, namely the School’s teaching of critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and community; the overall excellence of the academic program and faculty; and our campus as a place of wonder. Given that our teachers are the bedrock of Lamplighter, it comes as no surprise that recruiting, hiring, supporting, and retaining excellent faculty were cited in the survey as critical priorities for the next Head of School. The survey responses also consistently highlighted the importance of continuing to build on Lamplighter’s reputation as the region’s preeminent educator of young children and Lamplighter’s thoughtful balance of upholding cherished traditions with a spirit of growth and innovation. We encourage you to review the full Position Description for an overview of the additional opportunities and possibilities that lie ahead, as well as the desired qualities and qualifications for our next Head of School.

In the coming weeks, the Search Committee and the team at Carney Sandoe & Associates will focus on recruiting a pool of outstanding potential candidates to lead Lamplighter. We look forward to sharing another update once the new school year is underway.

In Lamplighter Spirit,



Liz Cullum Helfrich ’90 and Thomas Morton

Lamplighter Search Committee Co-Chairs