Letter from the Head of School

Greetings, Spartan Family!

By the time this magazine reaches you, I should just be finishing up the first two months of my tenure as Head of School, and what a time it has been! I knew before I even accepted the position that St. Johns is a very special place — a place where children have the tools and are encouraged every day in every way to be their very best selves. I knew it’s a place full of strong, creative, resilient individuals. And I knew that St. Johns is a place with a very bright future, indeed.

I’ve been very lucky that all of my early inferences about St. Johns and the School community have been right on target. That was evident to me as I joined the School community on July 1, 2020, and immediately picked up the work leading the School toward a safe, healthy reopening in the midst of this global pandemic. While that work has at times been challenging, it has given me so many opportunities to get acquainted with the School community, to dive into its culture and practices, and to really get to know St. Johns.

As we forge this path ahead, I’m very thankful to be moving forward together with each of you. I know you feel a very strong commitment to and connection with the School, and I’m grateful for that as well. To each of our alumni, parents, parents of alumni, faculty members, and the broader School community — thank you. Thank you for the gifts you give, and your wisdom and insight. Thank you for the time you spend volunteering for the School (no matter how different that may have looked this spring), and thank you for the support you consistently show toward our teachers, students, and now, me. Thank you for caring about St. Johns. We would not be the community we are without you.

You’ll see much evidence of that caring, and of what makes St. Johns so special, in the following pages. I hope you enjoy this issue, and, as always, please let me know what you think.

All the best,

Valorie Baker Head of School