Dr. Priscilla Sands to step down as President of Springside Chestnut Hill Academy

PHILADELPHIA, March 4, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On March 4, 2015, Dr. Priscilla Sands announced her decision to step down as President of Springside Chestnut Hill Academy at the end of the 2014-2015 academic year. Dr. Sands leaves to assume leadership of the Marlborough School in Los Angeles, CA, an independent school for girls in grades 7 to 12.

When Dr. Sands began at Springside School in 1996 as Head of School, the school had an enrollment of just over 400 girls in pre-kindergarten through Grade 12. At the time of the merger with Chestnut Hill Academy, Springside School had 675 girls and today Springside Chestnut Hill Academy has an enrollment of 1,102 boys and girls. The school is thriving. An independent, college preparatory school located in Philadelphia, SCH is distinguished by a unique educational model—single-sex education for the lower and middle grades followed by a coed upper school—and a bold mindset of innovation and leadership.

The school recognizes many achievements over Dr. Sands' 19-year tenure: enrollment growth of 63%; a fully transformed unified campus; stormwater management that benefits the entire neighborhood and the Wissahickon Watershed; sustainability initiatives that have earned the school "Green Ribbon" status from the U.S. Department of Education; a forward-thinking faculty and administration that provides an academic program that exceeds expectations; and, most recently, the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, a standout program that enhances the school's core curriculum and has garnered national attention.

The school's Board Chair Dick Hayne states, "So many highly visible facility upgrades have occurred over our 62-acre campus that it is difficult to list them all, and certainly the benefits to all members of the community are profound. But I believe that Priscilla's most notable accomplishment is what lies inside those facilities—the people who work there. Under her leadership, Priscilla has assembled a remarkable group of dedicated faculty and administrators who embrace her vision for 21st century education—experiential learning and problem solving in a team setting."

The SCH Board of Trustees has formed a search committee—led by trustees Mims Zabriskie, secretary of the board, and Patrick Lindsay, chair of the Education and Enrollment Committee—and will work with a leading national search firm to identify a process for Dr. Sands' replacement.

In her letter to the school community, Dr. Sands writes, "Our faculty and senior leadership team have been the guiding force behind all of our wonderful achievements…. They have taken the challenge to be bold, innovative, and daring and to teach our students for the ever-evolving world that awaits them. This is a faculty dedicated to the art of teaching and they meet their students, every day, at the intersection of passion and diligence."

Springside Chestnut Hill Academy is an independent school offering a rigorous college preparatory program that goes beyond the expected to deliver an unparalleled academic experience.  The school's unique model is distinguished by single-sex education for the lower grades (Pre-K through 8) followed by a coed upper school. In 2012, SCH Academy established the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL) to complement its core curriculum and give students the skills and mindset to distinguish themselves as leaders, breakthrough thinkers, and imaginative problem solvers.  The school is situated on a 62-acre campus in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia and serves over 1,100 boys and girls from more than 90 zip codes and internationally.  SCH Academy is the product of the 2010 merger between Springside School and Chestnut Hill Academy and combines nearly 300 years of academic excellence.

SOURCE Springside Chestnut Hill Academy

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