Board of Trustees

To the St. Thomas Community:

On behalf of the St. Thomas Episcopal Parish School Board of Trustees, I would like to welcome all families to the 2021-2022 school year. As a proud parent of two St. Thomas alumni, Anna (Class of 2012) and Matthew (Class of 2015), it is my honor to serve as Board Chairman this year. In addition to my role as a parent, I have also served as an Executive Board Member of the Board of Trustees (2015-2019), co-chairman of the Facilities Committee (2019-2021), and Junior Warden of the Vestry for St. Thomas Episcopal Church (2019-2021). I truly believe in the power of this community and the long standing traditions of St. Thomas Episcopal Parish School. 

The Board of Trustees would like to acknowledge our dedicated team of teachers, staff, and administrators who worked tirelessly to navigate the challenges of implementing a new and innovative learning environment during the 2020-2021 school year. As our community joined together, with the success and best interests of our students at the core, we successfully brought our students back on campus in the Fall, providing them with a healthy, safe, engaging, high-quality St. Thomas education, founded in Episcopal values. As we open the 2021-2022 school year, it is our intent to begin a return to normalcy by bringing back the traditions that make St. Thomas the vibrant, loving and caring community it has always been. We will, however, continue to be vigilant in keeping our community safe, so we ask for your patience and understanding as we continue to adapt to this challenging and dynamic environment. 

It is an exciting time for St.Thomas, as this year we will work towards finding our next Head of School who will lead our institution into the future. Central to this effort will be an active Search Committee chaired by Alejandro Duenas, Board Member and St. Thomas parent, and Elizabeth Bacardi, former Board Member and St. Thomas parent. The Committee and Board understand the importance of considering the many faces and facets of a school community like ours in a time of transition and therefore desire this process to be a thorough and transparent one. I invite you to review our website often for regular updates from the Search Committee as well as news from the Board of Trustees as we move forward. 

Let’s also take time this year to recognize and celebrate Lillian Issa’s work during her tenure at St. Thomas, as she led the school through progress, achievement and change. As Father Tim noted in his letter to the community announcing her resignation, “Her tireless efforts over the last year, in collaboration with the School’s  administrative team and faculty, made it possible for our students to receive the great gift of on-campus learning in a safe and secure environment during the pandemic.” Lillian, the Search Committee, and the Board of Trustees will work together throughout this year to ensure a smooth succession and transition.

I wish everyone a healthy, happy, and productive 2021-22 school year.

Sincerely,

Kurt Bauer

Chair, Board of Trustees