From The Head of School – November 1, 2023

Flint Hill Community,

Last week, I spent three days on campus at an independent school in Southwest Virginia, as a part of their Virginia Association of Independent Schools’ (VAIS) accreditation process. I was a member of a small team of educators from independent schools around the Commonwealth there to evaluate the school’s programs, community, and culture relative to the rigorous VAIS standards for accreditation.

The experience was valuable for a number of reasons: first, it allowed a basis of comparison for our Flint Hill experience against that of another strong JK-12 school, crystallizing ways in which we’re leading the pack across a number of fronts, such as academic experience, student supports, facilities, security, and more. It also offered a viewpoint to see how another school tackles universal independent school challenges, including finances and budgeting, equity and access, balancing tradition and innovation, and demonstrating value in a competitive marketplace. Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, it served as a healthy preview for the upcoming accreditation visit that we’ll host at Flint Hill this spring, as a part of our 10-year reaccreditation.

VAIS accredits over 90 schools in Virginia, each with its own mission, strengths, and challenges. While each school is an entity unto itself; as a whole, graduates from VAIS schools become leaders and economic drivers for our region. Our Flint Hill graduates, in particular, are uniquely positioned to wrestle with complex issues, engage in deep research, and lead in ways that benefit themselves and the world around them. That’s what we mean by “Blazing the Trail” as Huskies — as students on campus and beyond.

Later this spring, Flint Hill will welcome a group of VAIS educators to Flint Hill, digging in and providing us healthy feedback on our work relative to our Mission, Vision, Core Values, as well as to the VAIS standards for accreditation. I fully expect that the visit will highlight our many strengths, as well as gather solid information on ways in which we can continue to improve for the benefit of our students and community. I will provide more information on this process, as well as its outcomes, later this spring.

In the meantime, I hope that you enjoy and engage parent-teacher conferences this week — another indicator of the student-centric expertise and care that highlights our Flint Hill experience.