PS1 Head of School Announcement

NOVEMBER 2022

An Important Message from PS1 Pluralistic School

November 17, 2022

Dear PS1 Community, On behalf of the Board of Directors, it is our great pleasure to announce the appointment of Susannah Wolf as PS1 Pluralistic School’s next Head of School, effective July 1, 2023.

We welcome Susannah into the PS1 community from The Miquon School, a nursery school through 6th grade progressive school, located in Conshohocken, PA, a Philadelphia suburb, where she is completing her eighth and final year as the Head of School.

The recommendation of the Search Committee and decision by the Board were unanimous: Susannah’s intelligence, warmth and approachability, combined with her dynamism, vision and experience, make her an ideal choice to succeed PS1’s Founding Head Joel Pelcyger as our next long-term Head of School.

We would like to express our appreciation to all parents, teachers and staff who provided feedback throughout the search process, as well as to our fellow members of the Search Committee for their time and dedication.

Susannah comes to PS1 with an exemplary record of creating innovative educational programs and fostering collaboration, most recently at The Miquon School, which has flourished over the course of her tenure as Head of School. Her many accomplishments at Miquon include: In tandem with the Board, developing and adopting a strategic plan, working inclusively with the community to identify growth areas and opportunities, including solidifying its identity as a leader among progressive schools.

Adding a Spanish language program to Miquon’s curriculum.

Developing and implementing an innovative approach to teaching and learning math.

Driving the “Heart of Miquon” capital campaign, which will finance the design and construction of a new library, two classrooms and an outdoor gathering space.

Restoring the creek that runs through Miquon’s idyllic 10-acre campus, incorporating elements to make the campus more sustainable and more resistant to the effects of climate change.

Forming a partnership with the Progressive Education Network and joining the Independent School Teaching Fellowship, which makes it possible for new teachers to receive training at Miquon.

Prioritizing faculty and staff learning of the National SEED (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) Project to help drive personal, organizational and societal change toward social justice.

If you’d like to know more about Miquon, the school’s website provides detailed descriptions of the school’s history and philosophy, programs, activities and campus features.

Knowing Miquon’s many similarities to PS1, we see that Susannah is well aligned with the mission, vision and values of PS1. At PS1, we seek to create confident, life-long learners who will move out into the wider world with strong academic and interpersonal skills, a keen sense of self-awareness and confidence, and a commitment to building inclusive and engaged communities. We are rooted in a rich tradition of progressive education, which supports and celebrates children as children, letting their natural curiosity and energy inspire the community and the curriculum. We are confident that Susannah will preserve and enhance what PS1 stands for, and that we, in turn, will benefit from her leadership into our next chapter.

Susannah grew up in Philadelphia. She attended and graduated from Miquon, and attributes her passion for education to her lived experience at a progressive school. She received a B.A. in Contemporary European Social History from the University of Chicago and went on to earn an M.S. from New York’s Bank Street College of Education. Susannah has served as an administrative leader and lower and middle school math teacher for three decades. She spent four years at Manhattan Country School in New York and 18 years at schools in Maryland, including Friends School of Baltimore and The Park School of Baltimore. She also served as a lead teacher for three summers at Rutgers University’s Center for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science, educating K-8 teachers, as well as working with them on the development and implementation of lesson plans.

Susannah and her husband, Douglas, have two sons, Sam who is a Sophomore at Reed College and Benjamin who is graduating senior at Abington Friends School in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania.

She and Douglas decided this past spring to put in motion their long-held desire to move to the West Coast.

PS1 is fortunate to have such an able Interim Head of School in Erik Carlson, who has deep experience in paving the way for successful transitions. Susannah and Erik will be in regular contact and exploring ways in which PS1 can leverage this transition year to build on its many strengths as it moves toward new long-term leadership.

I am eager to join with the community in holding fast to such a strong history, while imagining and bringing to life the PS1 of the future.

We are eager to introduce Susannah to the PS1 community.

Susannah’s first of several visits to PS1 will take place in early 2023.

In addition to meeting with Erik, administrators, faculty and staff, and visiting classrooms, we will be holding a welcome reception.

We will be sending out more details as soon as they are finalized.

Sincerely,

Anna Tran Reyna, Board Chair P ’16, P ’22, P ’26

Kerri Speck, Co-Chair HOS Search Committee; Board Chair (2016-2019); Current Board member P ’14, P ’21, P ’24

Eric Zabinski, Co-Chair HOS Search Committee; Current Board Member P ’23, P ’25

Dear PS1 Community, I am thrilled and honored to accept the position as Head of School at PS1! I have long admired the impressive work happening at this remarkable school and am delighted for the opportunity to be part of the second half century. I am eager to join with the community in holding fast to such a strong history, while imagining and bringing to life the PS1 of the future. My experience as a Progressive educator committed to fostering communities of belonging make PS1 and the school’s philosophy of helping students “become the best versions of themselves” a perfect fit.

I want to thank the search committee and the Board of Directors for their hard work and leadership during this search process. My thanks go as well to all of the families, faculty, and staff members for helping welcome me to campus during my visits and for being so invested in not only the daily life of PS1 but the future as well. I look forward to getting to know all of you over time and to finding many opportunities to collaborate. Erik and I will partner throughout this year to continue to build those connections and to create a smooth transition for children and families.

My two visits to PS1 this fall illuminated and clarified many aspects of the program and the community. This is a school that is truly focused on children. This is a school that carefully, thoughtfully, deliberately develops curriculum. This is a school that prioritizes community, connecting both children and adults, and sees the value of having children be truly known. Throughout the school, through home classrooms and specialist areas and out at play, I observed evidence of the serious work being done to help children “develop critical academic and interpersonal skills to be confident and passionate contributors to an increasingly connected world,” just as the mission describes.

I believe you can get the measure of a school by the engagement of its children. The children I was lucky enough to meet during my visit were clearly engaged, curious, and busy, and the results of their social and academic commitment resonated in the discussions, friendships, and projects that surrounded them. I love to spend my days with elementary school students because every day is different; I have confidence that each day at PS1 will be exciting, challenging, engaging, and one that inspires us to rush back for the next … I can’t wait!

Warmly, Susannah Wolf

MISSION STATEMENT

PS1 is a diverse community committed to an ever-evolving model of pluralistic elementary education. On a path to self-knowledge, students engage and become the best versions of themselves. They develop critical academic and interpersonal skills to be confident and passionate contributors to an increasingly connected world.