Dear Beaver Community,

What an exciting time at Beaver Country Day School! The Board of Trustees and our Head of School Search Committee have been hard at work this spring and summer to find our next school leader. 

Since my last update to the community, the Head of School Search Committee—chaired by Wendy Fischman '89 P'25 and guided by our consultants from RG175—has reviewed outstanding applications from a pool that exceeded our expectations. The educators who applied for the Head of School position came from throughout the United States as well as international schools, comprising a diverse pool of highly-qualified candidates. In fact, our search consultants told us this was the largest applicant pool they had personally seen for a head search. Together with RG175, the committee interviewed promising candidates, held extensive conversations about their backgrounds and references, and ultimately identified finalists who will visit Beaver in September. 

Each finalist will meet with the Beaver community during a two-day visit this fall. In addition to time with the search committee and the board, each candidate will meet with the entire faculty and staff, as well as selected groups of students and alumni.

The exceptionally strong pool of candidates affirms what we already know about Beaver—that it lives up to its reputation for innovative, real-world learning with some of the nation’s most dedicated and talented teachers and school leaders. I am gratified that so many accomplished heads of school and aspiring heads want to be part of the Beaver magic.

Each of the finalists has expressed enthusiasm for how we approach education and was attracted to our school because of our student-focused pedagogy. Joining Beaver requires a commitment and openness to future-focused education; our next Head of School will certainly embrace that spirit.

I am especially appreciative of the members of the search committee who have been thoughtful, detail-oriented, and deliberative. Their work already amounts to hundreds of hours spent on this search. In short, they are committed to bringing the very best Head of School to Beaver next July.

I also remain grateful and impressed at the leadership that Sarah Pelmas has brought to Beaver for her two-year term as interim Head of School. Sarah’s unique understanding of Beaver as a past parent and her prior headship experience have been incredible assets as she refines our school operations; supports and guides school leaders; and connects with students, parents, and alumni to move our school forward. When school resumes next month, Beaver will be buzzing with the energy of students ready to challenge themselves in new ways and build on last year’s accomplishments.

In the meantime, I hope you all have some time with friends and family to enjoy these remaining weeks of summer. I can’t wait to see the Beaver campus come alive with our students on August 31. We have an exciting year ahead!

Warmly,

Julie Marcus

President, Board of Trustees