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Head of School Penny Evins Meets Collegiate Community

7/25/2019

Collegiate School’s new Head of School Penny B. Evins greeted nearly 100 guests at a special breakfast this morning outside McFall Hall. The event is one of several occasions being held to introduce her to the Cougar community.

Earlier in the week, Mrs. Evins met 60 Collegiate alums at a Cougar Bites gathering hosted by the Alumni Board at The Commonwealth Club. Alumni Board Chair Mayme Donohue Willis ‘03 addressed the group, saying how impressed she was after meeting Mrs. Evins for the first time. Specifically, Ms. Willis referenced how Mrs. Evins was an attentive listener and for every question asked of her, she responded with questions of her own.

“She was creating a dialogue rather than setting up a more prescriptive relationship,” Ms. Willis said. “This gave us the opportunity to learn and grow from each other, rather than engaging in a purely transactional relationship. Can you imagine the impact of this on a schoolwide level?”

Mrs. Evins thanked Ms. Willis and the alums, and shared how she knew about Collegiate’s reputation prior to arriving. She vowed to continue the charge of Collegiate founder Helen Baker to graduate “good citizens in the widest sense."

On Wednesday, she attended the Town School Lunch at the home of Lindsay Burn Wortham '69. John Martin ‘78, Collegiate’s current board chair, introduced Mrs. Evins to the alumnae in attendance before she spoke to the group of 40.

“I have been waiting all year for this event,” Mrs. Evins said. “I look forward to this relationship continuing for years to come.”

At today’s breakfast, which featured a sign that read, “Welcome Evins Family!”, Mrs. Evins mingled and chatted with guests before Mr. Martin introduced her saying, “What a great day to be a Cougar!”

He continued to say that everyone would soon learn what a great Head of School she will be.

“It seems like Penny was wired to be our Head,” he said. “She really understands education from the ground up.”

Mrs. Evins expressed her gratitude for the welcome her family has received and indicated in her remarks that her number one job is to preserve the pride that people feel to be a part of Collegiate.

“I will stand on my tippy-toes to meet those high standards,” she said. “My family and I look forward to many conversations with you. We are going to do our very best for this School and community.”

For those who were not able to attend today’s event, another breakfast will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 21, also in McFall Hall.

Photos by CLS Photography and Allyson Catoe Photography

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