Interview with Heather Caponi

Get to Know Ensworth’s New Head of Lower School: Heather Caponi

Tell us about your background in education: what drew you to teaching, what are the different roles you have held in schools, continuing education you have pursued, etc.? I grew up in Maine where I enjoyed running track and cross country and loved participating in theater. I attended Colby College where I met my husband, Chris, who graduated two years ahead of me and entered the Marine Corps as a First Lieutenant. After I graduated, we married and moved to San Diego where he was stationed, which allowed me to attend the University of San Diego to achieve my M.Ed. We moved to Wisconsin in 1995 where I began teaching at Brookfield Academy. While at Brookfield Academy, I taught 4K, first, third, and fourth grades. I also helped to create a resource department in our Lower School for struggling students and headed that department until I became the Assistant Lower School Head and then the Primary and Lower School Head. I am currently working on my Ed.D. through Arizona State University focusing on how to better understand teacher resistance to change.

What do you love most about working in a school? I pride myself on getting to know each child and family well and creating a partnership with them and the classroom teacher to support students. Strong school communities are based on relationships, and I relish these relationships because they allow me to watch children grow into the very best version of themselves. I absolutely love being a part of that. What drew you to Ensworth? I consider it a privilege to be trusted with a child’s education and I enjoy leading a community that is independent and free to make decisions based on what is in the best interest of its students and their families. Ensworth’s commitment to its Mission and Vision as well as the clear love for the school exhibited by the faculty and staff inspired me to accept the challenge of leading the Lower School.

What are some of the opportunities for growth and development that you see within the Lower School program? (side note: the theme of this edition is “Opportunity”) As a leader, I believe profoundly in supporting a collaborative environment that encourages teachers to share knowledge and best practices not only within grade levels but across departments and the division. This is an essential practice to serve students well. Such collegiality already exists in the Lower School, but I see the opportunity to strengthen and better define data-driven professional learning communities that improve student learning.

List 3-5 fun facts about yourself that people might not know.

• I love riding Harley Davidson motorcycles.

• I walk really fast which makes it appear as though I am too busy to stop and chat. But that is never the case.

• I have an epic shoe collection.