Following the departure of the Upper School Director Mr. Andrew Forrester from our administration last year, Mrs. Conn and Mr. Moore, already pillars in our school community, stepped in to hold down the fort as interim upper school directors. However, as of October 18, Conn and Moore were officially named as the permanent Upper School Director and Assistant Upper School Director respectively.
As she steps into the position of Mr. Forrester, who had been the Upper School Director for nearly a decade, Mrs. Conn shared that the switch was bigger than she knew.
“Mr. Forrester, the former director was like, ’It’s easy, you got it, you’ve been working over there for a while,’” Conn said. “It’s been a big change, but it’s been great.”
According to the Head of School Mr. Peter Kraft, the new administrators were chosen for many reasons, including their dedication to Saint Stephen’s and amazing leadership dynamic.
“They [Conn and Moore] push you but they also pull. That is my definition of leadership. They push others to be their best selves, but you know that they’re on your side.”
Kraft also reflected on his goals for the upper school and explained how Conn and Moore fit into that plan.
“We want our Upper School to be really healthy, a place where people strengthen themselves and work hard, but also feel like people are on their side,” Kraft said. “I think that Mrs. Conn and Mr. Moore do exceptionally well.”
Mr. Moore, who has taught English for years and served as the English Department Chair, discussed how well he and Mrs. Conn work together.
“Mrs. Conn and I have known each other for over 20 years,” Moore explained. “We’ve worked as coaches together, we were both department chairs at the same time, so I think we work really well together.”
As Interim and Assistant Director of the Upper School, the duo has enacted new policies, such as the updated dress code, the revamped tardy policy, and a discipline reporting system that have all seen wide effects on campus.
Part of their philosophy has been seeking input from the school as a whole. Mr. Moore mentioned that they have collaborated with the Student Council, making sure that student opinions are represented within new changes.
“I think the biggest change we made from the get-go was meeting with the Student Council to get students’ voices and to actually have that be a student government instead of just a spirit organization,” Moore said.”
Now, a little over a month into her new post, Mrs. Conn is excited for the bright future lying ahead.
“Now that I kind of have my feet in it and I know what’s going on, yes, I’m very, very excited.”
