Focus On: Why WT

January 2025

Every year during winter break, I spend some portion of my time in my office, preparing for January's return to school. And with the quiet hallways and the absence of meetings, I can do some of my best reflection and planning for the months ahead. In particular, I spend a fair amount of time reviewing the data that will be included in our annual State of the School. Building the slide deck is truly a collaborative effort with so many of my colleagues contributing important data points. I began this annual tradition in January 2019, my first year at WT, and as I reflect on where we were, what we have been through, where we are today, and where I believe we are going, I am always grateful for the growth and forward movement that is evident in the data. While many schools have struggled since the pandemic, WT continues to thrive.

If ever I wondered what makes WT so unique and special, it is truly the people who make up our community. I so commonly hear from prospective and new families, that WT exudes a warmth that welcomes them. It is certainly evident in our classrooms and offices in the student-educator relationships that form the core of who we are. Our signature City as Our Campus program and the curricular innovations that are occurring draw people into our community. Innovation that is ahead of its time. In reviewing the engagement survey we conducted this past fall, City as Our Campus is noted as an important reason families have chosen and continue to choose WT year after year.

As you know, I began recording my podcast Head Space last year. It has been incredibly rewarding to spend time with WT faculty and administrators as they share about the incredibly transformational things happening here at our Dear Old WT. From our Lower School literacy pilot to supporting student mental health to innovations in our Middle School Math pedagogy to interdisciplinary learning to the use of AI and its ethical implications and more, the podcasts have been a wonderful way to showcase the innovative and unique way that WT engages with our students. I hope you have found time to listen and to feel the inspiration I have when I am engaging my colleagues about their work. This month’s podcast gives a terrific overview of City as Our Campus.  

I look forward to sharing so much more with you during my annual State of the School on Tuesday, January 28, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. at the Joan Clark Davis Center for Interdisciplinary Learning. I will share the usual updates on our strategic design progress, academic achievement data, our financial and philanthropic outlook, an overview of the family engagement survey data, and more. I hope to see you there. 

Warm regards,

Scott D. Fech, Ph.D.
Head of School