Head of Lower School

Overview

Founded more than a century ago, Holton-Arms School encourages young women in grades 3-12 to approach the world with a thirst for challenge, unflinching curiosity, and a sense of responsibility to use what they learn for the greatest good. A nationally recognized school that prioritizes purposeful connections, Holton is a vibrant place where both students and faculty are deeply engaged in the process of learning and bring tremendous spirit and passion to their work.

With a 125-year legacy of excellence in educating girls, Holton provides students with time-tested and future-forward programming, preparing them not only to step into the future but to shape it.

The mission of the Holton-Arms School is to cultivate the unique potential of young women through the "education not only of the mind, but of the soul and spirit." Founded in 1901 by two visionary women, the School’s aspirations and current program are rooted in Mrs. Holton’s founding vision, which continues to serve as Holton’s North Star: “My high hope is that they who enter through the ‘Open Door’ of Holton-Arms remember they felt, in the friendliness of a home, the urge to learn and the joy of overcoming obstacles as the way to happiness and the fullest life.”

In this vibrant community committed to academic excellence, discovery, creativity, and joy, students are scholars, artists, and athletes who find their voices, take risks, learn from mistakes, pursue opportunities for leadership, and build lifelong friendships. The School motto, Inveniam viam aut faciam (I will find a way or make one), exemplifies this spirit of agency and empowerment.

The Lower School is where Holton-Arms’ Portrait of a Graduate first takes intentional shape. Guided by the School’s core values of integrity, community, courage, creativity and kindness, the Lower School experience cultivates girls who are creators, grapplers, learners, and thinkers; ethical and grounded; and leaders in their communities. These aspirations serve as both a common vision and a practical lens for the work of the division, informing curriculum and pedagogy, relationships and community life, student support, and the ways adults model learning and leadership.

The Lower School also prioritizes establishing an early mindset wherein the youngest girls see themselves as belonging to something greater than themselves and responsible for carrying on that sense of community. The combination of care of self and others is understood within the division and School as a core ethos to the Holton-Arms legacy.

Holton-Arms lives out its mission through a comprehensive and multi-dimensional approach to supporting each student and ensuring that all students thrive in school and in life, growing into leaders who will make the world a better place. Inspired by accomplished alumnae, caring faculty and staff, and each other, Holton students step up to challenges, try often, fail gracefully, and succeed proudly.

The School’s commitment to belonging is grounded in the mission to cultivate the unique potential of young women through an education of mind, soul, and spirit and strengthened by Holton’s values of integrity, community, courage, creativity, and kindness.

The Lower School serves as the foundational experience for Holton students to begin their journey. Supported by a sense of safety, deep connection to their teachers, and respectful friendships with classmates, Lower School girls spend their days in an environment of joyful learning, in which agency is cultivated and self-actualization is evident. The culture of encouraging girls to try new things and take risks leads to both early wins and a few stumbles and builds the students’ resilience and confidence in navigating…