Letter from the Day School Committee and The Session of the Brick Presbyterian Church
Dear Members of the Brick Church School Community,
We are writing on behalf of the Day School Committee of the Brick Church School and the Session of the Brick Presbyterian Church to share the news that Amy Warden has decided to leave the Brick Church School at the end of this school year. When Amy informed us of her recent decision, she underscored how much she loves the Brick community and how difficult it was to decide to move on. An exciting leadership opportunity was available at a school at which Amy and her family have close ties, and she felt called to apply. Though we are sad to see Amy go, we understand and support her decision, and we know that her new school community will feel as fortunate as we have been at Brick to have Amy as a leader, teacher, colleague, and friend.
After six years as Brick’s Associate Director, Amy became the school’s Director in the summer of 2019. During her tenure, Amy has distinguished herself as a leader through her unfailing kindness and integrity, her dedication to the school, and her expertise and passion for early childhood education. She has strengthened our school community in profound ways.
Among her many accomplishments, Amy was instrumental in developing the Twos Program and achieving record enrollment levels schoolwide. Most notably, Amy has been a steadfast leader through the Covid pandemic, keeping our community safe and protecting our children’s learning environment. With Amy’s leadership, Brick has been a leader among nursery schools, swiftly and successfully pivoting to remote learning in spring 2020 and then resuming in-person class that fall, making Brick an outlier among independent schools in reopening quickly and remaining open for the entire 2020-2021 academic year. Her commitment to our children and to the faculty has provided stability during times of difficulty, and her sense of purpose and joy has been contagious. We will miss Amy, and we will always be grateful for her service to our community.
Moving forward, we are pleased to announce that Marie Fabian will return to Brick to serve as Interim Director for the 2022–2023 school year. An experienced educator and leader, Marie most recently served as Director of the Circle School, an early childhood program affiliated with Our Savior Lutheran Church in Croton-on-Hudson, where she was responsible for all aspects of the school’s early childhood program. She previously served as Associate Director at Brick under Lydia Spinelli from September 2005 through June 2008, and then returned to serve as the Director of Institutional Advancement and Co-Business Manager from September 2010 through June 2012. Marie’s knowledge and love of Brick, along with her experience on both the academic and administrative sides of school life, make her the ideal Interim Director, and we are confident that she will help steward a seamless transition in leadership between Amy Warden and Brick’s next permanent Director. We are grateful that Marie will return to Brick in April to work alongside Amy while getting to know the faculty, families, and students.
We have formed a search committee of experienced and dedicated individuals, chaired by Ted Clement, who is a Brick alumnus and parent, an elder of the Church, and a member of both the Day School Committee and the Session. You will hear more from the committee later this spring as it launches an inclusive and thorough search process to identify the next Director of the Brick Church School. We anticipate that Brick’s next Director will begin their term at the start of the 2023–2024 school year.
For over eighty years, the Brick Church School has distinguished itself for the outstanding, compassionate, and thoughtful education it provides its students. Supported by our talented faculty and staff, Amy’s successor will build on all that she accomplished during her tenure, continuing to nurture a diverse and inclusive community of broad welcome and deep belonging. While change can be daunting, the Day School Committee and the Session are confident in the mission and values of the school, in the strength and stability of Brick’s program, and in the talented teachers who carry it out each year with such dedication, wisdom, and skill.
We will keep you informed throughout the search for Brick’s next Director. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to either of us.
Sincerely,
The Rev. Dr. Thomas Evans
Senior Minister, Head of Staff, and Moderator of Session
on behalf of the Session of the Brick Presbyterian Church
Victor Wu
Chair, Day School Committee
on behalf of the Day School Committee
The Brick Church School
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