From The Head of School – April 24, 2024

Flint Hill Community, 

There was much to celebrate on our Flint Hill campus last week (beyond the release of the new Taylor Swift album!).  

From Sunday, April 14, through Tuesday, April 16, Flint Hill welcomed a group of educators from throughout the Commonwealth to campus for our 10-Year Accreditation Visit by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools. This was the final step of a year-long deep-dive process for our team at Flint Hill, which included an in-depth self-study, evaluation of essential documents and policies, and the three-day visit from the accrediting team.  

In true Flint Hill fashion, this has been a team effort. I’m grateful to everyone who stepped up within this experience — from the 138 faculty, staff, and parents who contributed to the Narrative Report; the Steering Committee, led by Meredith VanDuyne and Aaron Proctor; the outstanding student and parent volunteers that spoke with the visiting team; and the many behind-the-scenes folks who made the visit run so smoothly.

The visiting team commended Flint Hill in many ways, but highlighted five areas of distinct strength: 

• Our student-centered academic and co-curricular program
• Our outstanding faculty and staff dedicated to our students’ engagement and growth
• The abiding belief in the Flint Hill Core Values from our entire community
• Best practices in Board governance and school leadership
• A spirit of innovation that permeates the culture of our community

It was clear that the VAIS visiting team saw and appreciated the great work that our team does on campus every day. I recommend watching or reading the transcript from the visiting team’s 15-minute exit presentation to Flint Hill faculty and staff to learn more (it will make you even more proud to be a Husky!).

In the coming weeks, the Flint Hill Board of Trustees and Leadership Team will receive more specific, internal feedback on aspects of our community relative to the VAIS standards for accreditation, as well as opportunities we may consider as the basis for future efforts and strategic planning. Then, in June, the VAIS Board will vote to extend our accreditation once again. I am grateful for Flint Hill to continue to serve as a leader in Virginia independent schools.     

In the meantime, please join me in a big congratulations to our entire Husky community on this major milestone for Flint Hill.

Go Huskies!

Patrick McHonett
Head of School