Dear Welsh Hills School families and friends,

Today I am composing my final email to our school community, and I find that I have a wild range of feelings that are hard to grasp. WHS has been a second home to me for the past 15 years and I can't help but reflect back with both joy and sadness on the things we have achieved together over the years. 

I am so proud of our students and their constant quest to learn and to explore new ideas, and I am in awe of the amazing staff who make this possible every day. But I will miss being a part of it all! We have celebrated the people of the world in our Continent Study, shared scarecrow versions of history, science, art, and literary icons, performed in musicals, played the handbells, and demonstrated intellectual skill in Robofest, Stemfest, Power of the Pen, and First Lego League. 

We welcomed both babies and high school into our community. WHS was a pre-k through 8th-grade school for over 30 years, and we expanded in both directions. Having a high school program has meant that we didn't have to say goodbye to our 8th graders quite so soon, and our teens have proven to be a great inspiration to our younger students. And it has been such a gift to have babies at school! Their smiles light up everyone's day, and I suppose it's not a secret that I used to sneak in the room just to hold babies.

WHS families have also worked to support each other through some very challenging times. In the past eight years, our school has said goodbye to two treasured Welsh Hills staff who have passed away, MaryAnn Reeb and Stacy Hastilow. These educators were instrumental in helping to make Welsh Hills a great place to learn and I frequently found inspiration in their calm commitment to Montessori education. 

Most recently, we have helped each other through a pandemic, figuring out how to be teachers and students from afar, and then back together again, (though not in quite the same way), how to care for one another, and how to keep our community safe. 

It is hard to leave a place that has played such an important role in my life, but I am excited for my next adventure. I am also excited for what comes next for WHS. Incoming Head of School Mya Sullivan has a calm patience that will make her a favorite of our students and staff. And she has a vision for education that I know will make her a wonderful addition to the WHS family. 

Thank you to each of you for being a part of Welsh Hills over the years, thank you for sharing yourself and your children, and thank you for including me. I am honored to have been a part of this Welsh Hills family. 

With gratitude,

Michelle

OUR SCHOOL

About us.

Celebrating our 41st year, Welsh Hills School is the only independent school in Licking County. We educate children from infancy through grade 12. Through our hands-on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) curriculum, students experience education in an environment that encourages creativity and nurtures a child’s natural love of learning.

Spanish, music, visual arts, robotics, drama, coding, organic gardening, and an award-winning, global education program are additional components of our school that expand and enrich our academic curriculum.

An infant program, and part-time and full-time toddler and preschool programs are available for families with children who are ready to join our school community.

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