Revolving Door at Holton

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Guys, it's not normal housecleaning. Regardless of what is sometimes true, the constant departures at Holton are a reflection of the past incompetence, cowardice, and cruelty of the current leadership. Hopefully things will change for the better soon.

Incompetence. Cowardice. Cruelty (!). Disturbing. Inappropriate.

That’s a lot of strong words you are using.

Any actual evidence for this libel?

[Anonymous]

How did they have 9 people in comms department in the first place? That’s nuts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How did they have 9 people in comms department in the first place? That’s nuts.

They'd hire people. They'd leave. They'd hire new people, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
+1. This thread is the predictable axe grinding of one or a few aggrieved people that are so emotionally invested they can’t accept the change, house cleaning, and new leadership style of a new head. This happens each time a new head arrives in DC. So these people come to this forum hoping to create a groundswell of outrage and exact their revenge. It’s exhausting.

Same axe grinders, same advocates

These threads are driven by a handful of people on each end of the Penny spectrum.

And you're right, it's exhausting.

[Anonymous]

At this point, if you are a long-time HA parent, I am not sure how you don't have some qualms about the direction of the school

Two years ago, sure there were some people that probably needed to go, and some course corrections regarding certain initiatives/directions overseen by the former HOS. But I don't think almost anyone was clamoring for a total upheaval. And yet that is what we have seemingly been given. Why? To act like the amount of turnover we have seen in just two years is normal attrition feels like outright gaslighting to me.

To me, this is the make or break year for Penny. A lot - and I mean a lot - of valued, long-time members of the community have now departed, either through their own choice or not. We will see if they have been replaced by superior educators. Maybe they have!

But if they have been replaced by lesser ones, then I think we all know the identity of the next person who needs to go

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Guys, it's not normal housecleaning. Regardless of what is sometimes true, the constant departures at Holton are a reflection of the past incompetence, cowardice, and cruelty of the current leadership. Hopefully things will change for the better soon.

Incompetence. Cowardice. Cruelty (!). Disturbing. Inappropriate.

That’s a lot of strong words you are using.

Any actual evidence for this libel?

An opinion is not libel. Maybe read up on libel before you make silly statements like this

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Guys, it's not normal housecleaning. Regardless of what is sometimes true, the constant departures at Holton are a reflection of the past incompetence, cowardice, and cruelty of the current leadership. Hopefully things will change for the better soon.

Incompetence. Cowardice. Cruelty (!). Disturbing. Inappropriate.

That’s a lot of strong words you are using.

Any actual evidence for this libel?

An opinion is not libel. Maybe read up on libel before you make silly statements like this

So it’s just an opinion? Not worth much, is it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At this point, if you are a long-time HA parent, I am not sure how you don't have some qualms about the direction of the school

Two years ago, sure there were some people that probably needed to go, and some course corrections regarding certain initiatives/directions overseen by the former HOS. But I don't think almost anyone was clamoring for a total upheaval. And yet that is what we have seemingly been given. Why? To act like the amount of turnover we have seen in just two years is normal attrition feels like outright gaslighting to me.

To me, this is the make or break year for Penny. A lot - and I mean a lot - of valued, long-time members of the community have now departed, either through their own choice or not. We will see if they have been replaced by superior educators. Maybe they have!

But if they have been replaced by lesser ones, then I think we all know the identity of the next person who needs to go

+1

[Anonymous]

Let's fact check a few things here.

1) Penny started with a director of communications who left (because of Penny but let's pretend it's not Penny's fault). Penny then hired a director of communications who was fired because she wrote an email intended for Penny, to the entire community. It wasn't a well received email. Penny then hired another director of communications. She just left. Penny is on her THIRD director of communications.

2) No teacher can just approach a Board member and say, "My HOS is lousy" without 100% fearing their job will be gone in the next year. Not saying that a teacher or teachers haven't gone to the Board (they 100% have), but it's not like a critical mass are lining up to report back.

3) Parents should (and are) talking to the Board. It's more about what the board is doing with that information that's the big question.

4) Libel is a falsely written statement. No of what is being written on DCUM is libel. Please do your research before using big words.

[Anonymous]

Where’s the “cruelty”?

[Anonymous]

NP with no connection to the school other than it’s near my house and we know a few grads. What’s the situation with the Board? Are they receptive to parent concerns? Are they independent or aligned with the HOS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another month, another senior administrator leaves Holton – this time it’s the Director of Communications. This is the fourth Director of Communications in Penny’s short, two-year tenure. This marks the ninth senior administrator to leave under Penny. I think this number is correct, but honestly, it’s tough to keep track at this point.

To make matters worse, Holton has not posted for this position. Another Personal Penny Pick coming to Holton!
It’s going to be tough for someone on the Comms team at Holton to “anonymously” reply to this post and defend yet another senior admin departure given there are only two members of the team remaining (NINE people I the communications department have left this year already). And, I would guess it will be hard for Penny too. She is quite busy “working” remotely (while the AHOS and the rest of the admin report to Holton nearly every day).

When will the Board starting taking note the there is one common denominator here?

This is the middle age temp teacher. If you don’t like, find a new job. Problem solved!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is a parent supposed to say to the Board at this point?

“Um, are you aware that in 2 years literally every division head and senior administrator has left or been fired?”

The argument that Penny had to come in and clear out the tired old dead weight begins to lose its punch when she’s now replacing her own hires

No this is completely normal

New heads always replace with their own crew.

^Gaslighting at its finest

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP with no connection to the school other than it’s near my house and we know a few grads. What’s the situation with the Board? Are they receptive to parent concerns? Are they independent or aligned with the HOS?

She's still there, so that tells you something. And board members who spoke out against her have left or have stepped down from leadership roles.

The board has some pretty troubling data to confirm the damage Penny has done to the community, but for whatever reason, they keep giving her more chances.

Much has been said about her problematic leadership in previous threads. This is is not the atmosphere one expects from Holton, and people who care about the school should be doing what they can to preserve all that's finest. Hopefully we will see positive change soon, but I doubt it will happen under Penny.

[Anonymous]

hasn't Penny pushed out all of the WOKE leaders that ran the school into the ground?

Several prominent Holton alumni (generational legacy families with deep pockets, this BOT families) refuse to send their daughters to HA because it went overboard with DEI and the wokeness.

Money talks