New Dean of the Class of 2023 Appointed
Kallan K. Wood has been appointed the Dean of the Class of 2023. She began working at Grace in the College Counseling Office in 2014, and throughout the past six years, she has taught full time in the Literature department, teaching 9th grade World Literature, developing new courses for 11th and 12th graders and served as an Advisor for the classes of 2017 and 2021.
In addition to her work as an academic teacher, Ms. Wood is one of the founding members of the Safe Space Advocates, founding member of the team that created the MLK Jr. High School Student Symposium, co-leader of the Senior Peer Leadership program and faculty advisor to Multi-(G)racial. This school year she will become a faculty representative to the Board of Trustees.
When asked about her new role, Ms. Wood said, “I believe in creatively fostering intellectual curiosity, developing critical thinking skills, centering equity and inclusion, as well as creating meaningful relationships with students, faculty and the community at large. I am looking forward to bringing all the above to bear as Dean of the Class of 2023.”
When asked about her new role, Ms. Wood said, “I believe in creatively fostering intellectual curiosity, developing critical thinking skills, centering equity and inclusion, as well as creating meaningful relationships with students, faculty and the community at large. I am looking forward to bringing all the above to bear as Dean of the Class of 2023.”
On her view of her role as an educator, she said, “I believe it is important for all students to feel and believe that they are deserving of engaging with all material. As a black/biracial woman, I feel it is paramount to model how to talk openly and comfortably about my own identity and experiences and how they figure into my academic pursuits and school life; this in turn, allows me to ask the same of my students. It is vital to create a learning environment where all students are able to bring their full selves into the room, just as I do.”
As a member of the 2019-2020 NYSAIS Justice, Equity & Diversity Institute, Ms. Wood was able to further her work as an anti-racist educator. “This program has been valuable in helping advance my expertise in how to lead professional conversations and has given me a wealth of resources and access to colleagues engaging in high-quality work at other schools.”
Ms. Wood holds a B.A. in English and History from Williams College and an M.A. in Philosophy and Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Her K-12 years were spent in a Waldorf School. Originally from Los Angeles and a very proud Californian, she has called New York home since 2012. She enjoys eating dumplings and desserts, and sometimes doing absolutely nothing at all.
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Grace Church School is a co-educational independent school in downtown Manhattan, New York City providing instruction for nearly 800 students in Junior Kindergarten through Grade 12.
