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Head of School Keith Evans Announces June 2014 Departure

8/15/2013

Head of School Keith Evans announced today that he has accepted the position of President of The Westminster Schools in Atlanta, Ga., effective at the end of the 2013-2014 school year. "For fourteen years, I have been privileged to serve as Collegiate's Head of School and to be a part of this extraordinary school community. So, it is only after a summer of soul-searching that I write to convey the news that the 2013-14 school year will be my last at Collegiate. I have accepted an appointment as President of Westminster Schools in Atlanta to begin next July 1, 2014, an incredible professional opportunity that also puts me in close proximity to my parents and siblings."

In a formal announcement letter shared today with Collegiate’s faculty, staff, current parents and alums, Evans explained that the move to Atlanta will allow him to pursue an attractive professional opportunity and live closer to family. He wrote, in part:

“I have been privileged to serve as Collegiate's Head of School and to be a part of this extraordinary school community…. I am excited about this next chapter for my family while knowing that I will leave a vibrant community at Collegiate that has been a tremendous personal and professional influence in my life.

“The Collegiate spirit is a force of nature and the catalyst behind every good thing that has happened during my time here. Collegiate today is characterized by the same compassion, optimism and ambition that was so evident when I first visited in 1998. That fact bodes well for the future.”

Evans will continue to enthusiastically steward the school during the upcoming academic year.

“I remain fully engaged in life here at Collegiate, and I am looking forward to the opening of school with all of the new opportunities it will bring. We have some exciting plans in place for the coming months.”

When classes begin on Aug. 27, he will oversee the opening of The Sharp Academic Commons, an expansive, community-oriented building on the north end of the campus. This cutting-edge facility houses a library, classrooms and conference spaces that local organizations can use for workshops or events – such as Collegiate’s inaugural summit for nonprofit leaders on Sept. 17 and 3rd annual International Emerging Leaders Conference in October.

Since Evans assumed leadership of Collegiate in July 1999, the school has experienced significant growth in a variety of areas:

student and faculty diversity;

curricular changes that expanded, among other topics, the school’s foreign language program to include Chinese;
global education endeavors that have led to meaningful travel opportunities for student and teachers and to global partnerships worldwide;
expansion of classroom technology:
the opening of the school’s Robins Campus in Goochland County (which houses facilities for tennis, baseball, softball, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, football, cross country and conditioning);
a community partnership that led to the development of the Collegiate
School Aquatics Center in Chesterfield County, and
extensive campus development, not only including new buildings, but also significant renovations or additions to virtually every academic and athletic facility.

Collegiate has also received noteworthy public recognition over the past 14 years, with repeated rankings in surveys for Great Places to Work, awards for architectural design, and recognition for overall school quality. Most recently, the school ranked 17th nationwide in a listing of the 50 Best Private Day Schools in the U.S. released by www.TheBestSchools.org.

In a letter to the school community that accompanied Evans' announcement, John L. Walker III, the chairman of Collegiate's Board of Trustees, wrote:

"I would be remiss if I did not take this opportunity to recognize Keith's central role in establishing Collegiate's national and international reputation as a dynamic, leading-edge independent school. Our students have been the beneficiaries as they graduate well prepared for leadership and service in a tightly connected world where intellectual curiosity, strategic thinking, bold innovation and substantive cross-cultural engagement are the driving forces."

Evans' final day at Collegiate will be June 30, 2014.

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Complete Collegiate Announcement

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