Dear GFS Community,

On behalf of the Middle School Head Search Committee, I am very pleased to announce that we have selected Shannon Schmidt to be the new Head of Garrison Forest's Middle School. This selection follows a full and open search in which we worked with several professional placement organizations to identify and interview a strong field of candidates from across the United States and overseas. In the interview process, Shannon received extremely strong support from every constituent group, including Middle School faculty and staff, current parents, Middle School student leaders, and the school's K-12 Leadership Team, and she was the unanimous choice of the search committee.

Shannon is a familiar face to us all, having served as the Middle School Curriculum and Academic Resource Coordinator at Garrison Forest since 2015.  In that capacity, Shannon has been a key member of the Middle School Administrative Team, working both independently and directly with current Middle School Head Tung Trinh in responsibilities that include faculty hiring and professional development, scheduling, parent communication, admissions, testing and the faculty review system. In particular, Shannon has been an integral part of the development and growth of the Middle School curriculum and pedagogy, and many of her colleagues wrote and spoke glowingly of her positive impact on their work and classes. She has also worked with students in her own classroom, in subjects ranging from creative writing to study skills to Model United Nations. Beyond the GFS Middle School, Shannon has also played vital K-12 roles, including serving on the school's Academic Council and leading the school's successful preparation for the AIMS accreditation self-study and accreditation team visit in 2017-2018.

Prior to her work at Garrison Forest, Shannon was the Assistant Principal at Patterson Park Public Charter School, which serves almost 700 students in grades PK-8. At PPPCS, she coordinated their program in curriculum and instruction, directed their disciplinary program, led several professional development initiatives and did grant-writing and committee work that served all areas of the school. Shannon, who began her teaching career as a lower school teacher at a Baltimore City public school, has a Bachelor of Arts degree (with honors) from Trinity College in Connecticut and a Masters in Teaching from Johns Hopkins University. She also has a Certificate in Administration and Supervision from Johns Hopkins and Maryland licensure in both Administration and Teaching.

Because she is already "in place," Shannon is able to get a head start on her new duties, as she works alongside Tung and the rest of the Middle School Administrative Team for the remainder of the school year. This should help ensure that our transition is seamless. Even as we thank Mr. Trinh for his truly excellent work at Garrison Forest and wish him and his family the best as they move to Richmond this summer, we are excited about the future of the Middle School under the leadership of Ms. Schmidt!

Thank you,

Chris Hughes
Head of School