Written by the Head of School, Morgan B. Scoville, M.Ed., on March 21, 2024.
On February 8 of this year, I wrote in the Fay Flyer that one of the nation’s most well-funded and ambitious schools, the Thaden School, had been directed by the National Association of Independent Schools to visit The Fay School so that it could learn about innovation, strong academics, outdoor education, and leadership development. During and after their visit, their goal became clearer than ever: replicate Fay’s leading model of early childhood and elementary education by bringing it to Bentonville, AR, and anchoring it to their established middle and upper schools. So, it is with extraordinary pride that I announce that, after Thaden’s national search for Founding Lower School Head, Principal Melissa Sherman has been selected for that role and will begin leading the creation of their Lower School on July 1, 2024!
Melissa’s dedicated service to The Fay School has supported the transformation of Fay from a “hidden gem of tremendous potential,” as I described it to her when she first interviewed for the Principal role here, and into a school that is now nationally known, respected, and admired. Her intelligence, tenacity, creativity, grace, and endurance helped guide the teaching and learning of our beloved school through the pandemic, to higher academic standards and recognition, to increased visibility within Houston and beyond, to enhanced use of our outdoor spaces for experiential learning, and to becoming a desired destination for aspiring and seasoned educators as Fay achieves our bold, exciting, and ambitious future. Please help me to congratulate Melissa for her well-earned selection to this new, incredible, and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and to thank her for all the contributions she has made to Fay. These contributions have accelerated your children’s growth, development, and learning in ways that will continue to prepare them to become “the next generation of leaders for our world.”
As we look to our bold, exciting, and ambitious future, it is with unwavering confidence that I announce the appointment of Carol Christ to the role of Principal, to begin on July 1, 2024. Carol has worked for over 35 years in independent schools. Prior to joining The Fay School this year as Director of Curriculum, she served at St. Francis Episcopal School in the roles of Head of Curriculum and Instruction, Interim Head of Middle School, and Head of Lower School. She has served in key administrative and teaching roles at Holy Spirit Episcopal as Associate Head of School and at St. John’s School as a Lead Lower School Teacher and Instructional Specialist. Carol holds a B.A in Elementary Education/Curriculum and Instruction with a Kindergarten Endorsement and Reading Specialization from Texas A&M University. She also holds an M.Ed. in Elementary Education/Gifted and Talented from the University of St. Thomas. In 1998 she received The Cullen Master Teacher Chair in Primary Education from St. John’s School and was nominated for enrollment at Columbia University’s Teacher College for Educational Leaders. Carol’s work with our teachers and your children thus far has already made an immediate and positive impact, and we will build on her early accomplishments as we all keep the Strategic Plan as our north star!
The Fay School continues to thrive at all levels, and we celebrate Melissa’s selection with immense joy while we also enthusiastically welcome the appointment of Carol to her new role. Over the next few months and into the summer, Melissa, Carol, and I will continue to thoughtfully collaborate as we enact our carefully crafted transition plan. This will ensure a smooth conclusion to the present school year and an intentional launch into successful years to come.
When Marie Fay Evnochides founded The Fay School with the vision that it would be a school “where children come first,” only she could have known how it would act as a catalyst to inspire other schools to transform and that it would continue to attract the type of educational talent to Fay that it has.