Is Holton still a good option?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD told me about it. It did happen and many students saw it. There is also a culture of fear that the head will jeopardize students college admissions if they speak out against her. She is known to be vindictive to both students and according to my daughter to faculty as well

17:05 PP here. My DD said the same.

[Anonymous]

This posts say more about the parents and the stalker than the hos. None of the parents nor staff were there. So this is based on comments by teenagers. Even though this happened, the fact the adults use this is a source speak loudly about the type of people you are. Go and tell penny in her face that she is a witch.

[Anonymous]

The anonymous letter to the community already did that. Another massive concern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The anonymous letter to the community already did that. Another massive concern.

The only one with massive concern is the stalker.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The anonymous letter to the community already did that. Another massive concern.

Anonymous letter to the community?

[Anonymous]

My daughter has been at Holton for four years, and it has been a fantastic experience for her. Would not have done anything differently. There are so many opportunities for extra enrichment in math in the lower school. The writing instruction is 100%. (At our daughter’s conference, the teacher showed us a sample of her writing assignment on “The Giver”, and it was similar to what I would have written in ninth grade) .

The band and arts are phenomenal. The fact that the sixth graders are now able to compete in middle school sports is a big benefit and will help them stay competitive against other ISL schools.

We will take it year by year, but I expect that we will stay through 12th grade.

You would be missing out on an incredible opportunity for your daughter if you are reading this board because it unfairly represents the Holton experience. But at the same time, it is weeding out the grudge holding miserable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The anonymous letter to the community already did that. Another massive concern.

Anonymous letter to the community?

Parent here. My daughter reported the same and showed me how it was done.

Why didn’t I get the community letter… it was emailed?

[Anonymous]

Here is the letter. This, like the arm grabbing incident, has been buried by the administration. It's tough to fundraise when this type of thing comes out.

Holton is home. And, if there was anything I learned while being at this school, it's that staying silent in
times of upheaval and uncertainty is not an option. Action is required. I write this letter directly to those
whom I feel need to hear this message the most—the distinguished alumnae. There are three threads to
my message, three reasons why I worry that Holton may lose its position among the top independent
schools for girls in the DMV region: loss of tradition, institutional mismanagement, and poor leadership.
What is your fondest memory of Holton? I would guess that near the top of the list would be
graduation—crossing the bridge in June to hear your graduation paragraph read aloud after dedicating
three weeks to your cherished, meaningful senior project. It took Penny Evins very little time to reshape
not only graduation but the events leading up to it. June graduation is gone. Paragraphs are no longer
read. The time students have to engage in and complete a senior project has been cut by more than
half. And why have these changes happened? A lack of transparency from the administration prevents
us from having an official answer, but those close to the Head of School understand the changes were
made because a) Penny did not want to read the graduation paragraphs, and b) she wants to graduate
students as soon as possible out of concern they might get into trouble if given too much unstructured
time. The reshuffling and watering down of graduation not only makes the seniors feel like they are
being rushed out the door, but also adds confusion to final weeks of school when teachers and students
go back to class after graduation. Graduation day, which used to be steeped in tradition, is now a shell
of its previous self.

Graduation is not the only change. Happy Birthday Holton has been replaced with "Founders Day" with
no transparency regarding why this change was made or even what it means. Teachers no longer have a
faculty/staff committee—their space to air questions or grievances – again taken away without
discussion or even acknowledgement that this was happening. The Teaching Fellows program was cut
mid-year, leaving two young, dedicated educators scrambling to find employment and eliminating a
potential pipeline for new teachers. Fourth graders are no longer building go-carts. Third graders are no
longer constructing Mongolian Gers. Coffeehouse, gone. Senior exit interviews, gone. Mock elections,
gone. In three short years beloved traditions have been eliminated with no explanation or transparency
as to why these changes were necessary. What is in the best interest of the student seems to be tossed
aside, and for what purpose? Parents and students were understandably frustrated by these decisions,
and dissatisfaction continues to resonate throughout the community (you can read all about this on DC
Urban Moms and Dads). It feels as though changes were made just to make a mark rather than putting
the students’ interest at the center of the decision – a running theme through this note.

When you attended Holton, perhaps your Head of School was Susanna Jones or Diana Beebe—gregarious, sincere leaders whom students, for the most part, respected. Penny Evins, who is rarely found in her office (typically “working from home” at the newly renovated Head’s house), has a forced and awkward disposition and gravitates not towards students but towards wealthy, white
potential donors and sitting Board members. Penny has stated that her number one goal is to "modernize" Holton-Arms School without much detail as to what that actually means (even after she was pressed by a faculty member in a full faculty/staff meeting). However, we have seen that, during her tenure, she has removed nearly every senior administrator: Melissa Brown (DEIB and Global Studies Director), Chris Lynch (Upper School Division Director), Ryan Williams-Berry (Middle School Director), Christy Diefenderfer (Lower School Division Director), Ann Kangas (Director of Advancement), and two Directors of Communication—not to mention nearly 80 teachers and staff members. Additionally, the Alumnae Director quit and was not replaced for several months. Recently, in Upper School Assembly, the Head of Advancement couldn’t correctly pronounce Brooke Depelteau’s (Head of the Upper School)
name. This example speaks to not only the newness of Penny’s senior administration, but also to the lack of connection across different faces of the school. And, while Penny may offer conventional explanations such as "people move," and "they found a new opportunity," or "this is a very transient area," there is no question that some of the best administrators this school has known were either pushed out or left because (in addition to the major cultural shifts) Penny does not allow space for dissent or even healthy discussion.

What results when a majority of the institutional knowledge leaves the school at or around the same
time? Chaos and stress. Because of Penny’s micromanagement, division directors, deans, other senior
administrators are subject to last minute changes that throw off the cadence of the school. The
byproduct of these changes include: loss of class time, student angst, and parent and teacher
frustration. It is important to note that perhaps the most maddening component of this is the fact that
teachers, deans, administrators will meet for hours on a topic to come to an agree upon resolution only
to have Penny (or her newly hired Associate head of School) nix the decision and replace it with
something else and require that those involved figure out how to make it work in short order.
As a prime example of her mismanagement, a student at Holton recently posted racist and oppressive
memes online while at school, using the school's server. Stories and rumors surrounding this painful,
jarring incident spread through Holton like wildfire. Led by Penny, the school did and said nothing for
more than six days. Only after parents continued to email and urge her to take action did Penny finally
impose a consequence and send a note to the community.

Sadly, this isn't the only incident of mismanagement. In December, right before winter break, Holton
lost power just after the school day began. What was Penny's next move? Pull her administrators
together to manage the crisis and devise a plan? No. Penny was determined to proceed with her Festival
of Lights assembly (a great photo opportunity and way to make the many parents in attendance happy, I
suppose), which did happen—in the dark and without a microphone for the first 15 minutes. What's
more, after the assembly concluded, Penny allowed students with parents in attendance to leave while
the rest of the community, specifically students and teachers, waited for instructions, which took two
and a half hours to arrive. For two and a half hours, some teachers kept students in their classrooms
while others sent them on to their next class. Teachers were wandering the halls asking, "Does anyone
know what to do?" I suppose the parents were happy to have had the assembly, but again, the students
were left in the lurch.

Teachers and students experience this whiplash (we are doing one thing, oh wait, let’s actually do it this
other way) time and time and time again. I have only mentioned some of the big-ticket items that have
been changed and modified at the last minute; the Dean of Students has to send out weekly inserts for
students to put tape into their planners to help manage day to day changes. Students thrive with
consistency and Holton right now is anything but that.

Despite having more administrators than ever before, Holton has no formal AI policy, which puts
students and teachers in a sticky spot when it comes to discussing when to use AI and how to use AI.
The school hired a consultant two years ago to change our schedule with absolutely no changes being
made (and last I checked we still paid for their services). We moved to splitting exam up and sprinkling
them throughout the year despite the teachers exclaiming that this would only result in loss of
instruction and added student anxiety. In November it was decided (by the administration, I suppose)
that actually spreading out exams was not going to work and we needed to go back to holding an exam
week in January.

Holton is a wonderful school with wonderful teachers and brilliant kids. However, the teachers are
leaving because they can’t take the poor leadership, and students are picking up on the chaos.
Admissions is having a challenging time bringing in the best and brightest (going to the waitlist last year
earlier than it ever has in more than a decade). Remaining silent is no longer an option. Send this note to
a fellow alumnae. Come to Holton. Call up current or former teachers. Talk with current parents. Ask
questions. Get answers. At this point, we need to find change or make some.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here is the letter. This, like the arm grabbing incident, has been buried by the administration. It's tough to fundraise when this type of thing comes out.

Holton is home. And, if there was anything I learned while being at this school, it's that staying silent in
times of upheaval and uncertainty is not an option. Action is required. I write this letter directly to those
whom I feel need to hear this message the most—the distinguished alumnae. There are three threads to
my message, three reasons why I worry that Holton may lose its position among the top independent
schools for girls in the DMV region: loss of tradition, institutional mismanagement, and poor leadership.
What is your fondest memory of Holton? I would guess that near the top of the list would be
graduation—crossing the bridge in June to hear your graduation paragraph read aloud after dedicating
three weeks to your cherished, meaningful senior project. It took Penny Evins very little time to reshape
not only graduation but the events leading up to it. June graduation is gone. Paragraphs are no longer
read. The time students have to engage in and complete a senior project has been cut by more than
half. And why have these changes happened? A lack of transparency from the administration prevents
us from having an official answer, but those close to the Head of School understand the changes were
made because a) Penny did not want to read the graduation paragraphs, and b) she wants to graduate
students as soon as possible out of concern they might get into trouble if given too much unstructured
time. The reshuffling and watering down of graduation not only makes the seniors feel like they are
being rushed out the door, but also adds confusion to final weeks of school when teachers and students
go back to class after graduation. Graduation day, which used to be steeped in tradition, is now a shell
of its previous self.

Graduation is not the only change. Happy Birthday Holton has been replaced with "Founders Day" with
no transparency regarding why this change was made or even what it means. Teachers no longer have a
faculty/staff committee—their space to air questions or grievances – again taken away without
discussion or even acknowledgement that this was happening. The Teaching Fellows program was cut
mid-year, leaving two young, dedicated educators scrambling to find employment and eliminating a
potential pipeline for new teachers. Fourth graders are no longer building go-carts. Third graders are no
longer constructing Mongolian Gers. Coffeehouse, gone. Senior exit interviews, gone. Mock elections,
gone. In three short years beloved traditions have been eliminated with no explanation or transparency
as to why these changes were necessary. What is in the best interest of the student seems to be tossed
aside, and for what purpose? Parents and students were understandably frustrated by these decisions,
and dissatisfaction continues to resonate throughout the community (you can read all about this on DC
Urban Moms and Dads). It feels as though changes were made just to make a mark rather than putting
the students’ interest at the center of the decision – a running theme through this note.

When you attended Holton, perhaps your Head of School was Susanna Jones or Diana Beebe—gregarious, sincere leaders whom students, for the most part, respected. Penny Evins, who is rarely found in her office (typically “working from home” at the newly renovated Head’s house), has a forced and awkward disposition and gravitates not towards students but towards wealthy, white
potential donors and sitting Board members. Penny has stated that her number one goal is to "modernize" Holton-Arms School without much detail as to what that actually means (even after she was pressed by a faculty member in a full faculty/staff meeting). However, we have seen that, during her tenure, she has removed nearly every senior administrator: Melissa Brown (DEIB and Global Studies Director), Chris Lynch (Upper School Division Director), Ryan Williams-Berry (Middle School Director), Christy Diefenderfer (Lower School Division Director), Ann Kangas (Director of Advancement), and two Directors of Communication—not to mention nearly 80 teachers and staff members. Additionally, the Alumnae Director quit and was not replaced for several months. Recently, in Upper School Assembly, the Head of Advancement couldn’t correctly pronounce Brooke Depelteau’s (Head of the Upper School)
name. This example speaks to not only the newness of Penny’s senior administration, but also to the lack of connection across different faces of the school. And, while Penny may offer conventional explanations such as "people move," and "they found a new opportunity," or "this is a very transient area," there is no question that some of the best administrators this school has known were either pushed out or left because (in addition to the major cultural shifts) Penny does not allow space for dissent or even healthy discussion.

What results when a majority of the institutional knowledge leaves the school at or around the same
time? Chaos and stress. Because of Penny’s micromanagement, division directors, deans, other senior
administrators are subject to last minute changes that throw off the cadence of the school. The
byproduct of these changes include: loss of class time, student angst, and parent and teacher
frustration. It is important to note that perhaps the most maddening component of this is the fact that
teachers, deans, administrators will meet for hours on a topic to come to an agree upon resolution only
to have Penny (or her newly hired Associate head of School) nix the decision and replace it with
something else and require that those involved figure out how to make it work in short order.
As a prime example of her mismanagement, a student at Holton recently posted racist and oppressive
memes online while at school, using the school's server. Stories and rumors surrounding this painful,
jarring incident spread through Holton like wildfire. Led by Penny, the school did and said nothing for
more than six days. Only after parents continued to email and urge her to take action did Penny finally
impose a consequence and send a note to the community.

Sadly, this isn't the only incident of mismanagement. In December, right before winter break, Holton
lost power just after the school day began. What was Penny's next move? Pull her administrators
together to manage the crisis and devise a plan? No. Penny was determined to proceed with her Festival
of Lights assembly (a great photo opportunity and way to make the many parents in attendance happy, I
suppose), which did happen—in the dark and without a microphone for the first 15 minutes. What's
more, after the assembly concluded, Penny allowed students with parents in attendance to leave while
the rest of the community, specifically students and teachers, waited for instructions, which took two
and a half hours to arrive. For two and a half hours, some teachers kept students in their classrooms
while others sent them on to their next class. Teachers were wandering the halls asking, "Does anyone
know what to do?" I suppose the parents were happy to have had the assembly, but again, the students
were left in the lurch.

Teachers and students experience this whiplash (we are doing one thing, oh wait, let’s actually do it this
other way) time and time and time again. I have only mentioned some of the big-ticket items that have
been changed and modified at the last minute; the Dean of Students has to send out weekly inserts for
students to put tape into their planners to help manage day to day changes. Students thrive with
consistency and Holton right now is anything but that.

Despite having more administrators than ever before, Holton has no formal AI policy, which puts
students and teachers in a sticky spot when it comes to discussing when to use AI and how to use AI.
The school hired a consultant two years ago to change our schedule with absolutely no changes being
made (and last I checked we still paid for their services). We moved to splitting exam up and sprinkling
them throughout the year despite the teachers exclaiming that this would only result in loss of
instruction and added student anxiety. In November it was decided (by the administration, I suppose)
that actually spreading out exams was not going to work and we needed to go back to holding an exam
week in January.

Holton is a wonderful school with wonderful teachers and brilliant kids. However, the teachers are
leaving because they can’t take the poor leadership, and students are picking up on the chaos.
Admissions is having a challenging time bringing in the best and brightest (going to the waitlist last year
earlier than it ever has in more than a decade). Remaining silent is no longer an option. Send this note to
a fellow alumnae. Come to Holton. Call up current or former teachers. Talk with current parents. Ask
questions. Get answers. At this point, we need to find change or make some.

Boooooring. It doesn’t need to be buried by the administration since it is so irrelevant and biased.

Ask ChatGPT if this is a balanced analysis. You would be surprised by an AI assessment.

[Anonymous]

Hysterical. What’s next? Are you going to call the poster a LOSER(!)?
How about - Penny is tremendous head of school…probably the best ever. What a joke.

Penny should have NEVER touched a kid (physical retort) to a kid’s non-physical (eye rolling) action. This will not be forgotten.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hysterical. What’s next? Are you going to call the poster a LOSER(!)?
How about - Penny is tremendous head of school…probably the best ever. What a joke.

Penny should have NEVER touched a kid (physical retort) to a kid’s non-physical (eye rolling) action. This will not be forgotten.

Are there bruises? Was the student traumatized? Did the family pressed charges? Were you there and saw exactly what happened ? Even if something happened you definitely are a stalker to publish this thing with the sole intent of tainting the reputation of the hos. You don’t really care about the affected party, otherwise you wouldn’t have mention the precise incident. In this story is not the case that you are the hero and penny is the monster, it might clearly be that you are the monsters with all your toxicity.

[Anonymous]

Not sure why these threads always get derailed, but we are a current Holton family in the lower school. We have really loved our experience and our social, quirky, nerdy DD really found her people and feels comfortable at Holton. She gets lots of individualized attention and is challenged in both math and reading. The teachers are amazing and the entire place feels very calm and inclusive. I was a bit skeptical of all the Holton traditions, but they do a good job of building community.

[Anonymous]

Holton is an incredible school with top notch teachers and staff dedicated to girls’ education. My DD has had wonderful classroom and extracurricular experiences there. Holton is still a good option. There has been a palpable cultural shift in the last few years however. What was once a warm and almost family like atmosphere has shifted and now feels more corporate and cold. Many traditions have changed and my DD and her friends are truly saddened by it. They don’t feel like they are getting the experience they anticipated when they enrolled. I’m hopeful that this administration will move on and let the community rebuild. Happy Birthday Holton is a telling example of a beloved, fun and student focused tradition that was abandoned for what felt to my DD and her friends like a cash grab. My understanding is that the Board is blindly loyal to Ms Evins so it’s unclear if they will ever act on what is clearly problematic leadership

[Anonymous]

I think like most things, it's best to not get your advice from this godforsaken anonymous forum! The best thing you can do is visit the school, talk to parents and kids you know, and make a decision that feels best for you. I really wish these forums were actually helpful and useful (I'm here for that kind of information myself), but the vitriol make it really difficult to trust anything I see here.

[Anonymous]

Specially when a stalker does not provide any constructive feedback, but just wants to trash the HoS.