Mary Keever Selected as Interim Head of School for 2023-24
The Westchester Board of Trustees announced that Mary Keever, head of Middle School, will serve as interim head of school for the 2023-2024 school year.
The board convened a Head of School Search Committee following the announcement from Head of School Cobb Atkinson in October that the current school year will be his last in the position, which he has held for 13 years. The committee members are Laurie Briggs, Jamie Collins, Tasha Dial, Kevin Harron, Doug Muir, Priya Paruchuri, Eddie Pearson, Tom Van Dessel, and Jenny Varner. They will begin the process of selecting a search firm to assist in the hiring process in January.
Keever has been a Wildcat for 24 years. She joined Westchester in 1999 as a language arts/literature teacher and became head of Middle School in 2012. She led the school's reaccreditation as SAIS accreditation coordinator in 2017. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English from Wofford College, a Master of Education in reading from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and certifications as an N.C. Certified Teacher of English and Reading Specialist and in Secondary School Education. She and her husband, Wes, have two children who have attended Westchester from kindergarten: Dory, a 2021 graduate, and Abby, an 11th grader.
"We are so grateful to her for sharing her leadership skills and many years of WCDS experience in order to help us maintain a year of administrative stability and forward progress in all of our school endeavors," said Laurie Briggs, chair of the Board of Trustees, in an email to the school community.
Briggs said the search committee will keep the head of school search as transparent as possible by providing progress updates, opportunities for the school community to participate in surveys or focus groups, and celebrations for Atkinson throughout the remainder of the school year.
Keever shared the following message with the school community after the announcement:
| When I look toward the future, I am filled with gratitude for the position our Wildcat Nation holds. We have a strong academic curriculum, quality athletic, arts and extracurricular programs, the best faculty team you could find anywhere, and supportive families that partner with us in preparing their children for each next step. Even in recent years when schools faced the challenges of the pandemic, at Westchester, we worked together to think creatively, collaborate flexibly and educate patiently. Cobb’s leadership, wisdom, and faith led us through this most challenging time and prepared us to continue to grow. The leadership team he has mentored and empowered is zealous and prepared. When the Board of Trustees invited me to consider leading Westchester while we search for the next head of school, I admit I took pause for a moment because it is hard to imagine not spending 100 percent of my time focused on our phenomenal Middle School. Building on that foundation and honing that loyalty and steadfastness will serve our community as we forge ahead. I am filled with exhilaration for this new endeavor and look forward to serving our entire community as the Interim Head of School for the 2023-2024 school year. Together, we can continue to thrive as we champion our Wildcat Nation. |
