A Message from Head of School Katherine L. Bradley

A Message from

Head of School Katherine L. Bradley

This spring, I had the pleasure of reading The Difficult Girl, a memoir by Helen Morse ’72. I then met Helen when she celebrated her 50th Reunion with the rest of the Class of 1972. A central figure in the story and in Helen’s life was her caregiver, Katherine Gregory, who played a key role in Helen’s journey to Dana Hall. One sentence in particular stuck with me: “While I lived with my parents, I had always known that Greg was my miracle. Now Dana Hall would be my second.” (Greg is the nickname Helen used for Katherine Gregory.) I was struck by the way Helen connected her gratitude for the person and the institution, and I was impressed with how she captured the essence of a time and feeling in such a tidy way. Helen honored this woman when she established the Katherine T. Gregory Scholarship and the Katherine T. Gregory Award, presented each year at Class Day (page 21), to a current student of high ethical standards, genuine concern for others, and outstanding character.

Helen elected to honor an important caregiver in her life and the values she holds dear. Her leadership is just one example of the forethought and generosity that our community chooses to share, time and again. Whether it is our Reunion classes (page 31) breaking records for their support of the Dana Fund, or dedicated families or united alumnae classes making significant gifts to fund our ambitious Classroom Building initiative (page 24), the philanthropic actions of Dana Hall community members are truly inspiring.

In the life of a school, the summer is a season of transition, when we focus on both the celebration of a successful academic year and the looking-forward to new opportunities. That balance of honoring our legacy while embracing our future plays out in the pages of this publication. We salute our graduating members of the Class of 2022 and all that they have accomplished during their time at Dana Hall, and we recognize the long-serving faculty and staff members who are moving on after years of dedication to Dana Hall. We also welcome new leaders, who will soon help chart our course for another successful year in academic and extra-curricular programming. And in a very tangible way, we close the door (literally!) on the 66 years of the Classroom Building in its current incarnation, so that we can usher in a new era with a space that will support, embody and become the signature building for teaching and learning at Dana Hall. It is indeed an exciting and momentous time, and I am grateful to experience it with all of our students, faculty, staff, families and alumnae. F

Commencement speaker Kellyanne Dignan ’99; Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees Sandy Niles P17, 19; Head of School Katherine Bradley; Associate Head of School Rob Mather P24, 26 and Assistant Head of Academics/Director of the Upper School Jessica Keimowitz at Commencement 2022