Letter From Head of School

View From My Window

The Falconer has a well-deserved great reputation: Twice a year, the Advancement Team curates, writes and illustrates a remarkable collection of stories about our school and school community. The target audience is mainly current families and alumni. This edition is no different. It will make alums nostalgic about their own experiences and parents grateful for the experiences their children are having today.

You would be the rare reader of this publication, whether you are a part of the alumni or the parent community at FWCD, if you did not know the 3A’s. We talk a lot about academics, arts and athletics. We are not just talking, either: FWCD daily life is packed with academic, arts-related and athletic efforts.

I want to introduce a fourth A: alumni. If I could remember who it was, I believe a member of our Board of Trustees, who noticed I was spending a lot of time talking about alumni and asked if it was becoming a fourth “A,” I would credit them with that idea. As it is, I just find myself referencing “The Fourth A” a lot these days. Having alumni as a fourth A is all about increasing the attention we give to our alumni.

With 4,931 graduates, FWCD needs to up its game in communicating and working with and for our alumni. How can we best serve you? How does your alma mater help you after you graduate? Can we be of service to your networking around career options? Can we help you beyond your jobs? Can we create an easy way for you to find fellow Falcons who do the work you do or are considering doing, or who live in the city you are moving to? Can we build up our resources for you to communicate with each other? Can we create better and better reunion experiences for you, ones that are worth getting on a plane to be a part of?

In 2025-26, we will build on our longstanding commitment to alumni engagement, taking our alumni efforts to the next level. First, we transitioned from a part-time Alumni Coordinator to a full-time position in 2018. Alumni Relations Coordinator Eleanor Siff began in August 2024 and is already making a great impact on alumni connection and programming.

Now, we are adding a second person to the office. Starting in August of 2025, Eleanor will have a teammate, none other than Peggy Wakeland H’25. As Peggy leaves her Upper School Assistant and Head roles of the last 31 years, she is going to help us deepen our connections with our nearly 5,000 alums. She will start in the fall by focusing on our youngest alumni, visiting current undergraduates and working with them on ways we can be helpful. She will be the host of our first Alumni Center, the Alumni Nest (located in the Lower School Village building closest to the softball field). Peggy, “The Peginator,” Ms. Wakeland will be eager to connect with any and all alumni. Let her know what she and your alma mater can do for you as we establish alumni as our fourth A.

Eric Lombardi

Head of School