All Saints
announces the
appointment
of its next Head of School

June 16, 2022

Dear Members of the All Saints Community,

As you know, we are thrilled to be welcoming Tom Trigg as our Interim Head of School for the 2022-2023 school year. With that important role filled, I am writing now to provide an update on our search process for All Saints’ next permanent Head of School.

I want to thank everyone for your input through the virtual listening sessions conducted by Nat Conard of Educators Collaborative, or through the completion of the online survey, or through your meetings with Nat when he was on campus in March. Your response was tremendous and contributed greatly to shaping the profile of characteristics for the next Head of School. I am pleased to advise you that the responses from our faculty and staff, parents, students, and Trustees were consistent in their messaging and confirm that All Saints has both strong values and culture, and yet seeks opportunity for future growth and how best to serve our students and families.

From this community input and information gathered regarding the School, Nat, in consultation with members of the Board, has developed an Information for Candidates document, which has been shared with prospective candidates. Nat has been and will continue to be actively engaged in both responding to interested parties and reaching out to prospective candidates.

The Board of Trustees, which has the ultimate responsibility for selecting the next Head of School, has appointed a Search Committee to conduct and manage the search process for All Saints’ next leader.

The following members of our community have agreed to serve on the Search Committee with me:

Erik Aarts, former Board Chair
Madeline Gardner, Trustee
Jim Morgan, Board Treasurer
Cigdem Ozturk, Trustee
Ericka Peterson, Trustee

In addition, Trustee Divya Menon will serve at the committee’s chair.

The Search Committee is responsible for vetting all of the highly qualified candidates presented by Educators Collaborative. The committee will review the candidates’ dossiers in confidence, advance several candidates to interview as semifinalists, and select the most compelling candidates to become finalists. At this point, we will again seek the engagement of the community.

Finalists will visit the campus for one or two days, meeting with members of the community, and then the Search Committee will, with consideration given to the feedback of members of the community, present the Board of Trustees with one nominee to be the next Head of All Saints.

As is the customary best practice, we intend to form an Advisory Committee to provide input and feedback to the Search Committee. The Advisory Committee will be composed of faculty and staff, parents, and perhaps alumni and student representatives. This Committee will represent the various constituencies within the school and ensure a broad and inclusive process for providing input to the Search Committee at the finalist stage. As we progress further in the search, we will reach out to ask for your help in forming the Advisory Committee.

On behalf of the Board and the Search Committee, thank you for your support of and participation in this important process.

I hope everyone has a wonderful summer.

Sincerely,
Cassy Sommer
Chair, Board of Trustees

June 1, 2022

Dear Members of the All Saints Community,

A great deal has happened since my last communication, and on behalf of the Board of Trustees, I am excited to share that Tom Trigg has accepted our invitation to serve as Interim Head of All Saints, effective June 20, 2022. As you know, Head of School Jill Singleton is stepping down after 18 years of outstanding service to our School, and we will enjoy Tom’s leadership for the next 12 months, before a new permanent Head of School begins in 2023.

The Interim Search Committee of the Board, which consisted of me, Madeline Gardner, and Jim Morgan, in conjunction with Nat Conard, our search consultant, considered and interviewed many candidates. Tom rapidly rose to the top. During a recent meeting, he was the unanimous choice of the Board for this important role.

A graduate of the University of Kansas, where he earned his B.A. in English, Tom also attended Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, where he earned an Ed.M. in administration and planning, and Yale Divinity School, where he earned an M.A.R. in the philosophy of religion. He has served as Head of School at Cape Cod Academy and at Carolina Day School, and has also served as a Director of Communications, Director of Admission and Financial Aid, Academic Dean, and Associate President at four other independent schools. His teaching experience is similarly broad, spanning English, writing, philosophy, religion, and environmental philosophy. Recently, Tom has served as an executive coach for school and non-profit leaders.

When Tom visited campus recently, it was immediately clear that his experience, warmth, energy, and aptitude were well aligned with All Saints’ culture, values and needs. A member of the School leadership team recently remarked, “Tom’s enthusiasm for serving as our Interim Head of School was very clear in our meeting with him. His values align strongly with those of All Saints, and he is clearly committed to leading us through this next school year. I’m eager to have this opportunity to work with him.”

In the coming weeks, Tom will be in touch with Jill and members of the senior team to ensure a seamless transition.

“Every conversation I have had with people who know All Saints has reinforced that this is a school and a community with the kinds of heart and soul that transform people — not just students, but parents and faculty, too,” Tom noted recently. “It is a real honor to be entrusted with the care and stewardship of the great programs and traditions Jill Singleton has thoughtfully nurtured here.”

We look forward to welcoming Tom and introducing him to the community!

And we are, as always, grateful for your support, and we will continue to keep you informed about our progress regarding the search for a permanent Head of School for July of 2023.

Sincerely,
Cassy Sommer
Chair, All Saints Episcopal Day School Board of Trustees

In my communication of January 31, I mentioned that Nat Conard, our consultant from Educators’ Collaborative, would be making an in-person visit to the school in the near future. As you know from the Mid-Week Memo, he will be on campus this week, meeting in person with members of the community as he completes the process of gathering community input to shape the leadership profile for our next Head of School.

The virtual meetings that Nat held in mid-January were followed by the community survey in early February, both of which have been invaluable to Nat in getting to know All Saints, our particular strengths, and the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for us.

Many thanks to all of you who participated in those meetings and the survey. This visit to campus will be an opportunity for Nat to experience the energy of the school, to validate what the many survey responses said, and to meet with more members of the community.

The outcome of this part of the process will be a leadership profile that will guide Nat’s work as he recruits potential leaders who are aligned with the school’s needs, both for the Interim Head role and for the Head of School for 2023. It will also prepare him to advocate with candidates on behalf of the school based on his own firsthand experience of our vibrant learning community.

I know that Nat looks forward to meeting with many of you this week. (If you didn’t get a chance to RSVP to join the parent discussion group, you can do so here.)

As always, we are grateful for your support and involvement in this process.

Sincerely,
Cassy Sommer
Chair, All Saints Episcopal Day School Board of Trustees

1/31/2022

Dear Members of the All Saints Community:

In a communication that went out earlier this month, I informed you that Nat Conard, our Head of School search consultant from Educators’ Collaborative, would be starting his work gaining input from our community as we develop a profile for the school’s next leader. I am pleased to announce that this work is well underway.

Nat has hosted a number of virtual meetings with members of the community, and he will be scheduling an in-person visit so that he can experience the excitement of the school in action, and spend time with additional parents, faculty and staff.

In addition, the online survey I noted in my January communication is now live. This survey is critical to Nat’s work in gathering broad input about what our community perceives to be the answers to three critical questions:

• What are the strengths of All Saints Episcopal Day School?
• What are the main challenges the school must address over the next three to five years?
• What specific personal and professional qualities would you like to see in the next head of All Saints?

You will find the link to the survey here, and I hope that you will use this opportunity to share your thoughts with Nat.

Survey responses are anonymous and go directly and only to Nat, who will share a summary of his findings with the Head of School Search Committee. While the survey will be open until Feb. 14, I urge you to complete it as soon as possible.

As always, we are grateful for your support and involvement in this process.

Sincerely,
Cassy Sommer
Chair, All Saints Episcopal Day School Board of Trustees

Dear Members of the All Saints Community –

I write today with the bittersweet news that Head of School Jill Singleton has shared her plans to move on from her time at All Saints Episcopal Day School, where she has diligently served for more than 17 years. Jill’s last year will be the 2022-2023 school year, with the January-June months encompassing her deferred sabbatical. (You can read Jill’s full letter below.)

Jill was appointed as our Head of School in the spring of 2004, and that summer she rolled up her sleeves to dive into her new community with the vision of creating a school where students, teachers, staff, and parents alike would be personally invested to bring the best version of themselves to the table each and every day. Jill consistently delivered on her promises and vision, building a capable team of leaders and faculty/staff who have journeyed and worked together to evolve our school’s ambitious mission to create compassionate, skilled leaders who are passionate about making a positive and lasting impact on their community.

Jill deserves recognition for her dedication and service to All Saints, and we will be making plans to express our heartfelt gratitude. However, for now I’d like to share that the Board of Trustees has put into action the well-established Head of School succession plan, developed for the eventuality of this occasion. We look forward to communicating with you clearly and often as to our progress in identifying an interim Head of School, who will replace Jill in December 2022. And, as always, the Board can be reached at asktheboard@allsaintsdayschool.org.

Please join me in congratulating Jill on taking this next step in her life. Although we are sad to see her go, the foundation for greatness Jill has laid for our school will prove effective in facilitating and supporting our continuing transformation – and I have every confidence that our wonderful community will support and respect what must have been an incredibly difficult decision.

Sincerely,
Cassy Sommer
Chair, Board of Trustees

Dear Cassy –

After an intentional period of considered discernment, I have decided it is time for me to tend to the next chapter in my life, and with mixed emotions, I share the news that my tenure at All Saints Episcopal Day School will be coming to a close. It is time to invite and welcome a new leader who will usher in the promise of new vision and transformation.

I consider the time I’ve served in this wonderful community to be the highlight of my professional career, as well as a true blessing in my personal and spiritual life. I am eternally grateful to the gifted and spirited trustees, parents, teachers, staff, and students who have made my job such an exciting adventure and a true pleasure, and my gratitude for the opportunity will remain with me always.

Since becoming ordained as a vocational deacon five years ago, my church-related work has expanded. As you know, I recently reopened The Lighthouse, a ministry in which we provide housing and hospitality to refugees, asylees, and asylum-seekers. I envision a new chapter that allows for a greater balance between my work in education and my work in the church – something that is just not possible while serving in the all-encompassing role of Head of School.

Since my appointment in 2004, our little school has accomplished so much! We earned our first-ever accreditation, renovated the St. Nicholas Center, expanded our footprint at 707, started our Middle School, realized our independence from the church, became authorized as an IB Middle Years Programme School, and obtained candidacy for the Primary Years Programme – to name just a few milestones. Our graduates have gone on to an impressive list of top-notch high schools, and this year we even invited our first alumnus to serve on our Board of Trustees. And of course, together we have navigated, and continue to navigate, an unprecedented health crisis that has only served to strengthen our bonds of affection and make us even more connected than ever.

As I step out in search of a new adventure, I do so with some sadness, of course, but also with an overwhelming sense of pride and contentment for having used my gifts to nurture and bring to life in our community a living expression of “Mitakuye Oyasin – we are all one.” And the true miracle is that as much as I have given, I have received so much more. It is my hope to take the gifts I’ve been blessed with here as I face my future with bold optimism, and to be guided by an intention we teach the students during our spirituality season of “change” – I am open to the changes that await me.

While I know this change is significant for our community, I believe it is one that will inspire students, staff, parents, and trustees alike to consider the mission and values we hold dear, and to identify ever more creative and expansive ways for bringing our beautiful strategic vision to life. The resilience our school developed and demonstrated over the past 18 months clearly shows that the All Saints community has the power to transcend any challenge that comes our way. And while I will be sad to take my leave from what has been the central community in my life for so long, I do so knowing that our school is poised for continued greatness and transformation. Our highly skilled Leadership Team, working hand in glove with our professional and dedicated faculty and staff, will welcome and support a new Head of School equipped with the skills and passion to lead us into our future, so that we can continue to welcome children and families for generations to come.

My tenure will come to an end in December 2022, giving way to the six-month sabbatical we have had to defer due to the pandemic. I know the Board’s Head of School succession plan calls for the immediate assemblage of a search committee to hire an interim, and should the committee identify an optimal candidate who seeks to start on July 1, I will willingly step aside to allow that transition to happen according to a timeframe that is best for the school. In either case, please know I will work diligently to ensure that the school and professional community are well-prepared to facilitate a smooth transition in leadership.

Of the countless blessings I have experienced over the past 17+ years, the support I have received from the Board of Trustees is at the top of the list. Our Board members have worked tirelessly to pave the way for our school’s evolving future, and we are all better for their service.

Cassy, I cannot begin to thank you enough for your selfless support and guidance over the years. I consider myself a better person for having known you, and will carry you in my heart and my memories as I step confidently out into my new future.

Kind regards,
Jill Singleton
Head of School