Ashley Stokes: Assistant Headmaster of the Year

Ashley Stokes & Evan Powell ASHLEY

STOKES

South Carolina Independent School Association’s Assistant Headmaster of the Year

Mrs. Ashley Stokes, Associate Head of School at All Saints’ Episcopal Day School, was named the South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA) Assistant Headmaster of the Year at the Heads’ State Fall Conference in Orangeburg on Thursday. She was presented with the “Coadjutor Award” for 2022. This award is given to the Assistant Head of School making the largest impact on his/her school. All Saints’ is one of 139 private schools in SCISA. She was nominated by All Saints’ Head of School Evan Powell. Powell said, “Mrs. Stokes leads collaboratively. Over the past three years, she has created a strong professional learning community among the faculty and works alongside teachers to make enhancements to all areas of the curriculum. Ashley knows every student’s name. You can find her in the teaching and learning garden with students or leading a 6th grade girls’ book club to help promote social and emotional learning. She writes many of the school’s communications, works with donors on projects to benefit the school and has created a 2K program and both an academic support and an enrichment program to meet the diverse needs of students.” Mrs. Stokes began as the

Associate Head of School at All

Saints’ in 2020. When the pandemic hit, she worked tirelessly to create a

solid Modified Distance Learning plan to ensure that student learning was maximized. Missy Brown, a faculty member, said, “I think All Saints’ persevered during the pandemic because of Mrs. Stokes’s leadership. She helped move the school through the technology transition of 1:1 devices for students and worked alongside all of us to teach, coach and assist in Google Level One certification. I think the school is stronger for having gone through this period and I credit much of that to her guidance during that time.” President of Francis Marion University, Dr. Fred Carter, who led the All Saints’ search committee for new leadership in 2019, commended Stokes: “She is an extraordinary educator and administrator who possesses the innate skill to cultivate the very best from those with whom she works. She has a deep love for children and an intense interest in their intellectual, cognitive, and social development. This passion and commitment is evident in every single aspect of her work. She’s the real thing – as a teacher, as a colleague, and as a friend.” Mrs. Stokes is in her 17th year of education. She taught in public school for 8 years, including reading intervention and then spent 6 years as the Lower School Head at Spartanburg Day School. Mrs. Stokes graduated from Lander University in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. She holds two Masters degrees, one in Divergent Learning from Columbia College and one in Educational Administration and Leadership from the University of South Carolina, and is endorsed in Gifted and Talented education. Mrs. Stokes is nearing completion of the School Management and Leadership Certificate through the Harvard School of Education where she collaborates with school leaders around the world. Mrs. Stokes is a current member of the South Carolina Independent School Association, the Palmetto Association of Independent Schools, and serves on the Board for the Florence Symphony Orchestra. Mrs. Stokes is married to her husband Chris of ten years and they have two children who attend All Saints’.

All Saints' Episcopal Day School

1425 Cherokee Rd, Florence | www.aseds.com For more information, contact Melissa Jordan: mjordan@aseds.com or (843) 662-8134