FWCD Announcement of New Head of Upper School

January 22nd 2025

Born and raised in a small town on the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, Ms. Abbott holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from the University of Michigan and, from Norwich University in Vermont, a Master of Arts in International Diplomacy: Terrorism and Counterterrorism. She has taught in North Carolina, Italy and Connecticut. Her 19 years as an educator have included a wonderful array of experiences, from teaching World History to ninth graders and Advanced Placement Art History to seniors to developing and sustaining a teacher training program and coaching volleyball.

With a firm grasp on the Academic “A,” Ms. Abbott will be leading our Upper School as one who has lived the commitment to each of FWCD’s 3A’s. She grew up with and maintains a passion for the Athletic and Arts “A”’s alongside her Academic focus. Her love for the fine arts started as a child, when she regularly attended Blue Lakes Fine Arts Camp. In high school, she played percussion and specialized in Marimba. Abby continues to play her 4.3-octave Marimba today and shares fond memories of her days as a four-year Drum Major with the Manistee High School marching band.

In athletics, Abby grew up playing soccer and volleyball, running the 330 low hurdles in track (“poorly” ... in her words), and skiing in the winter. At the University of Michigan, she was a four-year No. 2 in the club rugby scrum. These days, she engages in less impactful sports, including running, biking and lifting.

In addition to the appeal of her 3A’s commitment, Abby’s leadership skills and experiences will be invaluable in her tenure as our Upper School Head. Her references speak to her leadership at St. Luke’s being noteworthy for her ability to inspire excellence. She spearheaded initiatives to support ninth-graders at the school, particularly focusing on mentorship and leadership opportunities for students. She also created innovative systems to track and support students’ academic and social well-being by revamping the ninth grade and new student orientation programming and the advisory curriculum. Her efforts resulted in measurable student engagement and retention improvement by leveraging family involvement and parent partnerships.

Abby is also deeply committed to and engaged in student life and leadership. She grew a vibrant Model United Nations program that now comprises more than 100 students in grades 9-12. In addition, she started a highly competitive Mock Trial Team and an active Women in Humanities Club while also getting experience coaching Speech and Debate.

While deeply involved in student life, Abby is equally passionate about supporting faculty development and ensuring ample opportunities to nourish, celebrate and showcase faculty talent. She was part of a senior leadership team that developed a comprehensive coaching and evaluation program. In her current role as Assistant Division Head, she thought-partners daily with teachers to embed active learning in their lessons.

When pressed to share, Abby will say that her favorite career accolades include being named Teacher of the Year and Innovator of the Year, earning a U.S. Presidential Scholars Award (a National Merit Scholar named her as their most influential educator, and both traveled to Washington, D.C., to receive the honor), and being named “Best Mom” by one applicant, her sweet son, Charlie.

Abby is drawn to Fort Worth Country Day’s vibrant community and its unwavering focus on student-centered education. Her philosophy of creating joyful, inclusive environments in which students and faculty alike can thrive aligns seamlessly with our school’s culture. Her proven ability to balance and amplify tradition with innovation will be instrumental as she steps into this leadership role, celebrating, nurturing and furthering our wonderful Upper School.

Her passion for learning and her clearly demonstrated desire to share that passion with school communities make us particularly fortunate that Ms. Abbott’s nationwide search led her to choose Fort Worth Country Day. “I was blown away by the depth of knowledge, expertise and creativity of the faculty as well as with the clear engagement, talent and curiosity of the student body – the toughest questions I got on my two-day visit were from students, and I loved how invested they were in securing the right leadership for their beloved Upper School,” Abby said. “I was struck by the kindness that the parent representatives showed me and their eagerness to partner in fun visionary exercises rooted in the best parts of a Country Day education right now and how to amplify and build from those going forward.”

Her time visiting classrooms left her equally impressed. “There was a palpable sense of rigor, yet class content was accessible and fun. I saw students not just participating, but thriving in an environment where curiosity was encouraged and expectations were clear,” Abby said. “Trivia games, unpacking primary sources, and helpful retrieval practices grounded in cognitive science, in preparation for midterms, were on full display. I saw teachers thoroughly invested in their students' success and authentically interested in nurturing the relationships that they had clearly and intentionally built over time. The faculty care deeply about this community, and just with the two days I was on campus, I could understand why – what a singularly special place.”

Abby looks forward to learning more from Peggy Wakeland as Ms. Wakeland takes her 31 years of FWCD experience into the Alumni Relations realm with the Advancement Office. Abby knows she is joining an Upper School team loaded with talent and is eager to be a part of taking the School’s 2030 Strategic Plan forward.

Ms. Abbott’s acceptance of this senior leadership role at our school is the result of significant diligence on the part of three search advisory teams: our Academic Department Chairs and Director of College Counseling; six parents who serve on our Board of Trustees; and the academic members of our Senior Leadership Team. Thank you to department chairs Catherine Collins-Vecino, Colin Douglas ’06, David Hoppe, Mark Lichaj, Alison Robinson and Director of College Counselling Kristin Larsen. Thank you to parents Ricky Brown, William Butler ’96, Hugo Del Pozzo, Elyse Stoltz Dickerson ’93, Demequa Moore, Katie Semple and Helen Todora. Thank you to academic leadership team members Trey Blair, Stephen Blan, Nicole Masole-Rose and Amy Witten.

Our search process began with consultants from RG 175 coming to campus in September. During that two-day visit, the consultants spent time with our Upper School faculty and school leadership. They followed up with a survey of the broader community, asking about desired leadership traits and perceived opportunities and challenges in the FWCD Upper School.

After posting the position statement in October, RG 175 vetted initial interested candidates, a selected few of whom we met via Zoom. From those applicants, we invited four finalists to campus in December. Those four spent two days in our Upper School, with our Upper School faculty and students, with our senior leadership team, and in meetings with the search advisory groups. Among the impressive Upper School educators coming from NAIS schools across the country, Abby Abbott stood out for all of the reasons written above and more. I am eager for the Abbotts to arrive, for Abby to start in on her work, and for our community to begin to get to know her.

Please join me in welcoming Abby Abbott and her family as they begin this exciting new chapter at Fort Worth Country Day.

Sincerely,