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Board of Trustees Update – July 19, 2024

July 19, 2024

Dear CWA Community,

 

We are thrilled to announce the appointment of Christopher Gorycki (Go-rik-ē) as Charles Wright Academy’s new Interim Head of School, effective Friday, August 2, 2024. Chris comes to us with an impressive history of over 35 years working with renowned independent schools, serving as head in four of them. We are confident that he will be a great fit for CWA. His experiences at many other schools combined with his deep interest in learning about our community will help us forge the right path forward. The Board of Trustees has determined that our Interim be retained for two years to best accomplish the work ahead.

 

“I am honored by the opportunity to serve as Charles Wright Academy’s Interim Head of School for the next two years,” said Chris. “During my time on campus I was deeply moved by the love everyone had for the school. Together we will capitalize on all of the great things that are in place at CWA and we will learn from our past to move forward with joy and enthusiasm. I look forward to seeing everyone on campus. Go Tarriers!”

 

Thank you to members of our Interim Head of School Search Committee as well as the many amazing students, parents, faculty, and staff who turned out for the meet and greets and provided feedback. Your important input informed the decision. We are excited to welcome Chris to the Charles Wright Academy community and will be announcing more opportunities for constituents to meet him in the near future.

 

Read more about Chris in our expanded announcement on the CWA website.

 

In other news…

  • The location of next week’s listening sessions has moved to the Upper School Commons (AKA Phyllis Kriese Commons). In case you missed our 7/12 update, the first set of listening sessions are scheduled for NEXT WEEK:

    • Monday, July 22 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

    • Tuesday, July 23 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

There will be warm-up activities and a chance to share whatever is on your mind and connect with other families. Some trustees will be present at each session to listen, learn, and encourage open sharing. We want this space to be centered on family experiences, so trustees will be listening for understanding rather than providing specific updates or responses at this point.

 

An RSVP is appreciated for planning purposes but not required. RSVP here. Additional sessions will be held in early August. To ensure that these meetings are as productive as possible there will not be an online option, so in-person attendance and participation is encouraged. These listening sessions will be moderated by Reciprocity Consulting.

  • A link to an online survey for additional feedback will be provided in next Friday’s update. Similar to the listening sessions, we encourage anyone and everyone to participate in this survey as it will help guide our long-term Head of School search.

 

The past six weeks have been incredibly busy for everyone and we thank you for hanging in there and being an important member of our community. Please feel free to share this and future updates with anyone who might be interested in CWA happenings. Alumni and parents of alumni who aren’t receiving school communications but would like to may provide their updated contact information to the school. Alumni click here. Parents of alumni click here. As always, please feel free to contact us at feedback@cwatrustees.com with any comments, questions, or concerns. Go Tarriers!

 

Sincerely,

 

The CWA Board of Trustees

 

Aimee Allen (P ’19)

Drew Bamford ’91

Adam Blakney ’00 (P ’33, ’32)

Dr. Guillermo Chacon (P ’34, ’11)

Emily Happy (P ’32)

Hillary Hearn (P ’36, ’38)

Dr. David Hirschberg ’80 (P ’17)

Toby Murray ’71 (P ’02, GP ’38)

Ben Sclair ’88 (P ’24, ’19, ’17)

Nicole Stice (P ’29, ’27, ’24)

Sarah Weyerhaeuser (P ’11, ’09, ’07)

Trevor Will ’93 (P ’27, ’24)


EXCELLENCE • COMPASSION • INTEGRITY • RESPECT • PERSEVERANCE