A group of six Upper School students and six staffulty, including Head of School Karen Eshoo, from multiple divisions and disciplines traveled together for and experienced an insightful and transformative experience at the NAIS People of Color Conference and the Student Diversity Leadership Conference in December. As student Hanhah Greene '21 enthused, "What was so compelling about this conference was meeting people from all around the country living totally different lives, but were able to connect and find such close similarities between one another."

King faculty understand that in order to be the very best, they must be lifelong learners as well as professional educators, and they know that the two are intimately linked. Congratulations to four Faculty who were awarded Summer Sabbaticals. 

Last summer, Laura Bowe, History Faculty, traveled to Vienna on a Faculty Sabbatical, to explore psychology and the lives of Sigmund Freud and Viktor Frankl. Ms. Bowe's sabbatical is one of many ways in which King supports a top quality Professional Growth and Development (PG&D) program, which is a cornerstone of our success.

How does King School define a kind and inclusive community? Every day our staffulty, students, and parents make a choice to intentionally show consideration and compassion for others. King is committed to our Virtues of integrity, kindness, perseverance, and respect. One important way we show our commitment to cultivating a kind, inclusive community is by supporting staffulty at the NAIS People of Color Conference (PoCC) and students at the Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC).

King has been using the Singapore Math Curriculum in the Lower School for the last 10-12 years and our Faculty continue to develop and grow in the methods of teaching mathematics. In King's continued support of Professional Growth and Development (PG&D), a group of Math Faculty from all three divisions attended the Singapore Math Conference, earlier this week, to learn from one of the most respected Math educators, Dr. Ban Har.

King Faculty are exceptionally committed to their professional growth and development throughout the year. This commitment to attend conferences and workshops continues throughout the summer months as many faculty deepen their pedagogical practices and their discipline subject understandings - all with significant consideration regarding how our students learn best and how we can meaningfully challenge them to be their best.

Head of School Dr. Karen E. Eshoo may be new to King and just settled into her office but her years of experience and profound knowledge took her to Atlanta in July to serve for her third year as Faculty at the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Institute for New Heads (INH). As a member of the esteemed faculty, Karen collaborated with other Heads to help prepare new heads of school for successful leadership transitions.

Thanks in large part to our Annual Fund, King is able to offer a comprehensive, systematic approach to Professional Growth and Development (PG&D). The PG&D program enables Faculty to stay up-to-date on new research and best practices, hone their practices as teachers, and attend top conferences and workshops.

The Food for Thought' series, which takes place 2-3 times annually, was created as a way to have faculty and staff from all three divisions come together and discuss various topics relevant to teaching and learning at King.

Last summer, as a recipient of the McDermott Award, I traveled to Venice, Italy to participate in the MOSE (Experimental Electromechanical Module) Project. This project focuses on flood prevention as well as planning, design, and evaluation.