Foote News in Brief Our New Head of School, Aléwa Cooper! On February 25, the Board of Directors announced the appointment of Aléwa Cooper as The Foote School’s next Head of School. Aléwa is a dynamic independentschool leader whose values and vision align closely with those of the Foote School community. Her tenure will begin July 1, 2020, when Carol Maoz departs after 11 years of strong, steady leadership at Foote. Our Head of School Search Committee selected Aléwa from among a pool of highly qualified candidates from leading independent schools as part of a nationwide search. The Search Committee was unanimous in recommending Aléwa to the full Board of Directors at its meeting on February 11, which approved her appointment with enthusiasm. Aléwa brings to Foote two decades of experience as a leader and teacher in independent schools. For the past five years, she has served as Head of Lower School (grades Pre-K to 4) at Greens Farms Academy, an independent school in Westport, Connecticut, that serves 715 students in grades Pre-K to 12. At Greens Farms, Aléwa oversaw curricular initiatives in literacy, math and social-emotional learning; led diversity, equity and social justice work; and served on a schoolwide marketing committee to better understand the changing school landscape and develop enrollment management strategies.
with distinction as a teacher and leader at two New York City independent schools: 12 years as a Grade 2 teacher and Diversity Practitioner at The Nightingale-Bamford School, followed by three years as Lower School Assistant Director at Trevor Day School. For the past six years, Aléwa has served as a core faculty member of the Interschool Leadership Institute, mentoring and coaching aspiring leaders of color. Aléwa is excited to join with faculty and parents who share her commitment to promoting the development of character and academic success in the next generation. “I am honored to be the next Head of The Foote School,” she says. “Spending time on campus with students, parents and faculty convinced me that Foote is a place where everyone teaches and everyone learns; I am eager to do both. I look forward to joining this special community and to writing Foote’s next chapter together.”
Aléwa’s colleagues describe her as dependable, calm, caring, loyal and authentic. She brings firsthand experience with many of Foote’s curricular initiatives, including Fundations and RULER; is attentive to differentiation and developmental approaches across grades K–9; has training in many facets of headship, including the accreditation process and trustee and governance relationships; and is multilingual proficient in Portuguese and Spanish.
The depth and quality of the applicant pool for this critical position reflect the outstanding reputation that The Foote School enjoys in the world of independent schools. We can all feel proud of that. Please join us in welcoming Aléwa and her partner, Markell, to the Foote School community and New Haven!
Aléwa earned a Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University and a Master of Science in Education from Bank Street College of Education. Earlier in her career, she served
Rebecca Good & Rich Lee Co-Chairs, Head of School Search Committee
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With gratitude,
