Last Friday, in a lovely ceremony in the Maloy Courtyard, CA employees got together to bid farewell to staff members, faculty, and other co-workers and colleagues who are either retiring or changing directions in their lives next year. Among those receiving our thanks and praise was our 9th Grade Dean and Spanish teacher extraordinaire, Meg Hill. Among many other remarks I gave at the occasion, I noted that “No one has advocated more than Meg for the social and emotional well being of Freshmen than she has, and we will lose a powerful voice for the cause of the youngest among our Upper School students.”

After 18 years, Meg will be moving on to other ventures outside of teaching, possibly embarking on a new career as a medical translator. We will miss her, but wish her nothing but the best.

Other teachers who have left during the course of this year or who will be leaving at the completion of this school year:

David Frankel - anchored our Freshman Biology core course and created an exciting new elective, Environmental Chemistry; he brought environmental awareness into all his teaching.

Sean Gallop - one of our most innovative and versatile teachers, he taught courses in Robotics, Computer Science, Innovations, and REDI Lab, and was an enthusiastic outdoor trip leader.

Daniel Lopez - transformed our Global Travel program, bringing together what had been a loose collection of trips into an innovative, extensive, and cohesive program; he also taught upper level Spanish courses.

Holley McBroom - made our Physics program one of the most popular and successful in the region; she was also one of our most dedicated advisors and a wonderful performer at the Faculty Follies!

Luis Terrazas - designed numerous popular courses, including the Supreme Court elective, and he started our very successful Mock Trial program.

All of these folks left their marks and will be remembered for significant contributions to the overall academic environment of the school. It is interesting to note that five out of the six teachers I have mentioned here have moved to or will be moving on to other career paths. Sadly, one of the outcomes of the pandemic nationwide is that some longtime teachers are leaving the profession. These past 15 months have taken their toll on many education professionals. We wish these folks well in their future endeavors, and perhaps they will return to teaching again in the future. 

Just as one chapter of the school’s history ends, another begins. We have hired an incredible group of new faculty members, all of whom will be profiled in a separate communication from the school. I know they will all make significant contributions to the life of the school and become positive influences on our students’ lives. 

Finally, I am among those who will be moving on to other things next year, but I am pleased to say I will not be going far. As I step down as principal and turn the Upper School leadership over to Max Delgado, I look forward to teaching English classes, helping pioneer our Speech and Debate program, and doing some college counseling as well. CA has been part of my life for 18 years already, and I am excited to start the next chapter of my career right here.