FOOTBALL AT FOXCROFT? New Administrator Rolls With The Tide

FOOTBALL AT FOXCROFT? New Administrator Rolls With The Tide

By Leslie VanSant

There’s a new hound at Foxcroft. And she’s crazy about football. Tanya Hyatt joined the staff as the Assistant Head of School in July. This new role at the 108-year-old girls boarding school makes her responsible for academics and student scheduling but also means stepping in when Head of School Catherine McGehee is off campus.

“My main job is Dean of Academics,” Hyatt said.“But with Foxcroft starting a capital campaign, Cathy decided to create this role with the additional responsibilities to give her the flexibility she needed for the campaign.”

Tanya Hyatt, Foxcroft’s new assistant head of school

The Dean of Academics oversees faculty and ensures that students are on track for graduation. The size of the school allows for small classes that really dig deeply into student interests.

“You have to ensure students are getting all that they need,” Hyatt said. “From their courses, residential life, student life, counseling, the health center, athletics. Is everything working smoothly?”

When she visited, Hyatt was taken with the beauty of the campus and the local countryside. She and her husband, Cris, enjoyed the small-town feel and charm of Middleburg combined with the opportunity to experience the culture of nearby Washington, D.C.

But the return of students to campus in September made her truly fall in love with her new home, not to mention her first experience with Foxcroft tradition.

“The night before classes start, you are sorted – much like Hogwarts and the sorting hat – becoming a hound or a fox. There is singing and celebration, and instant belonging that is really powerful. It is so easy to get lost at a new school, even as a teacher like me, and this tradition builds a common ground. It was magical.”

Hyatt didn’t start her career with the intention of becoming an educator or administrator. Born in Mississippi and raised in Alabama since age 12, her big interests were science and football.

“Friday nights were football nights,” she said, so it made perfect sense that she went to the University of Alabama where she earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees while cheering on the Crimson Tide. She holds a doctorate in nutritional science and has published research on women and diabetes.

After she graduated, a position was open to teach AP Biology at Indian Springs School in Pelham, Alabama. “While I hadn’t really considered teaching high school, I thought, I can do anything for a year. They offered me the job – it was insane – it was chaotic, but I loved it! The students pushed me and I learned as much or more from them as I taught.”

Her career progressed, first teaching and then into administration at Indian Springs, a coeducational boarding school. Hyatt appreciates the boarding school environment tremendously for the greater interactions with students.

“This is their home,” she said.” You get to know each other as people, not just a teacher and students. They are wondering, what is adult life like, and you help show them. The students are watching everything. Being in this environment is a much deeper educational tool. It’s rewarding and fulfilling.”

Still, don’t be surprised on fall weekends to hear “Roll Tide” coming from the campus house she and Cris share with their dog, a Jack Russell/Yorkie mix named “Saban” and cat “Mac” named after Alabama’s football coach Nick Saban and New England Patriot quarterback Mac Jones, respectively. If you do, stop by and enjoy some hospitality southern football style. Roll Tide. Go Hounds!