Jonathan Huang ’19, Nishant Thangada ’19, James Tang ’18: Upper School Form Dean Mike Letts is set to take over as interim Head of Upper School. Over the course of his 13 years at EA, Letts has served as Form Dean as well English teacher, soccer coach, and Communications Director.
Letts explains, “My interest is truly strictly to just sort of help you guys, help the Upper School, to get us through this new schedule, and some other things, maybe a bit more minor. The schedule thing is a big deal. And my experience over my last couple years and with the schedule and scheduling committee, and my relationships with the faculty position me in a unique way through that.”
Current Head of Upper School Delvin Dinkins who is leaving to become Assistant Headmaster at the Pingry School in New Jersey, says, “Mr. Letts is the right person for the job. He is someone who has made deep connections with students, parents, and faculty. His relationships with members of the community will serve him well as he steps into his new role.” He continues, “On a personal note, I am delighted to see him embrace this new challenge in his professional career. He is someone with the passion and energy to make good on our promise of challenging and nurturing students to lead lives of purpose, faith, and integrity. I am confident that he will work hard to serve members of this community.
When asked about the interview process, Letts says, “It was a very lengthy interview process. I don’t even remember when it started. There were open faculty meetings. Then, I met with groups of senior administrators, clearly Dr. Locke, Dr. Hall, Dr. Dinkins, Ms. Anderson, who is going to be the academic dean next year, Mr. Parsons, who is the Dean of faculty, different groups of teachers. That was a full day of interview essentially and after that, I had some follow up interviews with Dr. Locke.”
Cheryl McLauchlan, Form Dean of the Class of 2019, shared her thoughts regarding the Head of Upper School transition, explaining, “I think he is the right fit for the job … he knows Episcopal, he has experience being a dean, and he has an excellent working relationship of how the Upper School operates.”
Grace Reilly ‘19, says, “I’m really excited to have Mr. Letts as our Head of Upper School because not only is he a fantastic teacher, but he takes the time to connect with all of his students and is able to relate to us so easily. He also pushes us to be the best we can be.”
Kevin King ‘19 also expresses, “I think Letts is the perfect choice as Upper School Head. He has a unique ability to connect with the students and he serves as a mentor for many. He’s a great teacher and a great guy and I think he will excel at this position.”