It is an honor to serve as the Director of Upper School at Baldwin, and a privilege to work with our incredible students and talented faculty daily. Having served in several roles at Baldwin for over 25 years and having two Baldwin daughters of my own, I deeply value what a Baldwin education means for our students from all perspectives. I see the benefits of our highly academic, all-girls environment daily, and I routinely hear from our alumnae about how much they appreciate everything Baldwin gave them. We are a community of curious, dedicated learners who enjoy being challenged and pushed beyond what is obvious. We are students who take appropriate risks, recognizing that the best learning can come from our mistakes and not just our successes. We are a community that appreciates and encourages individuality and uniqueness as we know that every person, every voice and every perspective ensures that experiences are rich and meaningful.

 

Baldwin is known for its incredible academic learning, successful skill building and leadership development. Our leadership work with our students is implicit in every class, sports team experience, performance or other activity. There is no “back row” at Baldwin – all voices are encouraged and appreciated. We often hear stories from our alums who share that at some point in their early college years, they realize they are the only person talking in a seminar or the only first-year student who tried out for a competitive internship (and got it). They speak of their “blind confidence,” a confidence they did not realize they had until they were the only ones around them raising their hand. At Baldwin, our students don’t always realize this about themselves because it is the norm. Others around them are just as eager to participate, raise their hands and take risks. That is just how it is in a Baldwin class, and when our graduates leave, they take that confidence and leadership with them. They excel wherever they go and quickly find themselves leading their class discussions, spearheading group projects and making their mark on their new community with their positive and meaningful contributions. We not only prepare our students to get into excellent colleges but more importantly, we prepare them to be successful when they get there and then go beyond. 

One of the things that sets Baldwin apart is the learning atmosphere. Our incredibly smart, engaging faculty create learning experiences that transcend any school I have ever encountered. But beyond that, who a student is learning next to has just as much importance in her own experience as what and how a student is learning. How lucky our students are to learn in a classroom full of curious, interested, dedicated students who are just as passionate as they are! The classroom discussions demonstrate heated debates between friends about the meaning of a historical event, the importance of a lab result or the true significance of a metaphor in Jane Eyre. Our students push each other to be their best selves in their learning. They want to be challenged in their thinking, and they appreciate and respect their differences in opinions. When asked about my experiences teaching here, I often share that my heart beat as fast entering my last class after 26 years of teaching Biology as it did entering my first class. Not a day went by that I wasn’t asked some brilliant question that I could not answer – I always knew that these students were smarter than me, which was both terrifying and invigorating – what an incredible atmosphere to learn!

The energy, excitement and opportunities at Baldwin are not to be missed! Join us and experience it for yourself – it is a magical place to be and learn.