Dearest WMS Community,

I will be retiring from my position as Head of School on June 30th , 2022, at the end of the 2021-2022 school year. This is consequential news, both personally and professionally, but I know that it is the right time for me to leave my role as the leader of our beloved school.

As you can imagine, at this time I am filled with emotions. I have devoted so much of my life to the school that the thought of leaving makes my heart sad. At the same time I am very proud of what the school has become, a flourishing institution with an extraordinary staff that does a wonderful job in revealing the world to its audience of young children. And I feel confident that it will continue to thrive in the years ahead.

Everyone involved in the search understands that it is important that the person chosen to lead the school into the future have a deep understanding of what is the underlying ethos of the school. As part of this process, in the next few weeks, you will have the opportunity to provide input on how you understand the mission of WMS and how the school actually functions.

I could hardly imagine that almost fifty years ago, when I put up flyers on lampposts announcing a new school for young children and six families showed up, that it would develop the fullness it has today. Through the years as WMS grew, we have had to deal with some major crises: 9/11 occurred on the first day of the Fall term in 2001 as we greeted children and parents, the first plane flying low over our heads, on its path to the World Trade Center and, of course, the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. But I strongly believe that we have met these challenges with resilience and they have, in some mysterious way, strengthened our school community.

Apart from these extraordinary crises, the school has remained innovative even as it has grown larger. We continue to believe that each day is a new day for us and we continue to learn and enhance our ability to impart wisdom to our children, a process I am confident will be a hallmark of the school as it moves into the second half century of its wonderful existence.

The good news is that, like a good parent, I shall remain a part of the school’s life, both from a respectful distance and, for the 2022-23 school year, continuing my role in Ex-missions for our children going off to Ongoing schools in September 2023.

With appreciation to you for being a part of WMS,

Ronnie