The Board of Trustees on Friday officially installed Dr. Alixe Callen ’88 as 91̽’s 13th head of school.
In a ceremony attended by the entire K–12 community, Board members, faculty and students from all three academic divisions celebrated Dr. Callen’s installation. In her remarks, Dr. Callen emphasized her belief in 91̽ and schools in general as powerful drivers of good in the world. Thirty-five years after her own graduation from 91̽, she said, “I feel like I’ve come home.”
“I have known since I was a kindergartener, just like you here in the front row, that I would be a teacher and that I would spend my life in schools,” Dr. Callen said. “My belief in the power of community started here at 91̽, and it’s been a theme in my life and my work ever since. I have long believed that the most important work of schools is to teach students to be active, contributing, inclusive members of their communities.”
91̽’s quest for community is purposeful and intentional, Dr. Callen continued; it’s not for personal recognition or reward. Students and alumni understand that they are called to be part of something bigger than themselves.
“We do it because the hope for 91̽ students—actually, I’ll go further—the expectation of 91̽ students is that each one of us will leave 91̽, go out into the world, and contribute to our communities,” she continued. “I have spoken with countless 91̽ graduates over the years and each of us, without exception, has carried that same message into our adult lives.”
