Carolina Day welcomes new Head of School

Press release from Carolina Day School:

Carolina Day School recently welcomed new Head of School Stephanie Whitney, who started her new role effective July 1.

Whitney comes to CDS from The Mead School in Stamford, Connecticut, an independent school for infants through grade eight, where she served as head of school, leading Mead School through the new era of distance learning, social distancing, and heightened safety measures brought about by COVID-19. Before joining Mead in 2015, Whitney spent 11 years as assistant head of school at Greens Farms Academy, a Pre-K/12 independent college preparatory school in Westport, CT.

Whitney is excited to be joining Carolina Day, and has deep respect for the critical role schools play in children’s lives, especially during these unprecedented times. “Carolina Day School is known for its high academic standing, but it’s also known for the way that it teaches children and students and young adults to be socially minded, to be responsible, to mind for their own self care. Social emotional wellbeing is every bit as important as the academics that we teach.”

In preparation for assuming the role of Head of School at CDS, Whitney has been communicating with leadership at CDS for months prior to her official start date.

“A lot has happened since I visited back in October for interviews, and we’ve experienced COVID-19, which has changed everyone’s lives,” said Whitney. “Even with the uncertainties we now face in everyday life,  the CDS that you know and love is still here.”

CDS plans to return to on-campus learning this fall, with stringent health and safety protocols in place. Within her first 25 days as Head of School, Whitney helped lead the implementation of a back-to-campus plan called CDS Reunite. The plan includes health and safety protocols guided by a COVID-19 Advisory Board composed of medical experts and community leaders.

“School is going to look a little bit different when we come back, as we put in new safety measures and adjust for the future,” said Whitney. “Our leadership team,  faculty, parents, and board of trustees have been in deep dialogue to ensure that we’ve got this right for when we all come back to campus in August.”

“We are prepared and ready for whatever may come.”

Whitney graduated from Purdue University with a B.A. in Business and French, and she holds an M.B.A. from Harvard University.