Springs Celebrates Installation of New Head of School Dr. Sharon Howell

Indian Springs School students, faculty, and Board members—as well as alumni and parents viewing via live stream from across the country—honored new Head of School Dr. Sharon Howell at a special installation ceremony on Sept. 30 following the close of the fall Board meeting.

 

“The Board is thrilled to have Dr. Howell,” said Board Chair Libby Pantazis. “She has hit the ground running, literally…. We wanted to pause for a moment, then, to acknowledge Dr. Howell and her lovely family—give a nod, if you will, to her—as we continue under her leadership to a very bright future for Indian Springs.”

 

Howell thanked Pantazis and the Board of Governors “for bringing me here where there is so much beauty and promise and for trusting me with the future of this place you love.”

 

Howell said a part of her job will be to “keep the lights on and piano tuned" and "keep great students and faculty such as yourselves coming and staying.”

But, she said, “you can expect more than that.

 

“We’re not only going to keep doing the things we love here, but we’re going to try new things: We’re going to work together and lift each other up, and help each other plumb new depths. We’re not going to miss any chances to learn from each other and from what’s going on in the world, or to remind ourselves that that’s what we’re doing, so we can be fully present in all the communities that we inhabit.”

Howell recalled the reaction of a student following a recent Musical Friday performance by student violinist Haeun Honney Kim ’19. The student told her, "It makes me want to be better."

 

“That about knocked my socks off,” said Howell. “Because as anyone with a Doc Armstrong-inspired deep-dive education can tell you, there are lots of complex theories about how we respond morally to encounters with beauty, or with things that exceed the everyday.” She closed her remarks by promising to work daily to “make [Springs] the best school it can be for these precious and beautiful young people to live, learn, and find their truths.”

Speaking on behalf of the student body, Fall Mayor Adam Aldaher ’17 presented Howell with a calligraphy print recognizing the school theme for the year, “Out of the Shallows, Into the Depths,” from the writings of Springs’ Founding Director Louis E. “Doc” Armstrong.

The print salutes Dr. Howell: “Thank you for encouraging us to reflect on our words and actions and engage deeply with the world around us.”

 

Click here to view a video of the 15-minute ceremony.