Welcome from the Head of School

Dear Seacrest Community,

I am humbled and honored to be selected as the Head of School for Seacrest Country Day.  Even prior to my arrival on campus last spring, I could feel the heart of this unique and special school.  Students are happy and fully engaged in their own learning.  They are also very kind and respectful.  The faculty and staff are a team of talented and dedicated professionals who always put the children first.  They create an environment where students can push themselves to do their best in the classroom, in the arts studio and on the athletic field.  Our parents are actively engaged in the life of our school supporting their children in everything that they do and committed to the exceptional education that Seacrest provides for every student it serves.  The Board of Trustees is a dedicated group of leaders and volunteers that understand the principles of governance and their role as the stewards of the school’s future.  They give tirelessly to Seacrest. Finally, the alumni that I have met talk about their time here as the most important and formative experience of their lives.  This is clear evidence of what a compelling and unique school we are fortunate enough to call home. 

While Seacrest has many obvious strengths and attributes, great organizations are never satisfied.  They have high aspirations and they are constantly looking for ways to better fulfill their mission.  As a team, we will pursue continuous improvement in everything we do.  We will be strategic in the allocation of our time, talent and resources to enhance the quality of our educational program.  Furthermore, we will always be guided by the pursuit of what is in the best interest of the children we serve.  As an independent school, we have the freedom to act in alignment with this principle without the bureaucracy and politics that encumber many educational institutions.  We will always put the kids first in everything we do and in the center of every decision we make.

More specifically, we will build an even more robust, cohesive and student-centered PK-12 college preparatory curriculum.  We will leverage technology and innovations such as artificial intelligence in meaningful ways in order to prepare our students to succeed in a dynamic and rapidly changing world.  We will grow our commitment to the arts and expand our offerings in order to foster creativity and self-expression through a variety of mediums.  We will work to develop strong athletic offerings in all sports along with opportunities for our student-athletes to foster the values of teamwork, competition and sportsmanship.  We will ground all of our programs in our core values to develop young people of character who will choose to do the right thing - even when no one is looking. 

I will share more of my initial observations about Seacrest, its strengths as well as opportunities for growth, and an overview of strategic priorities for the next few years in a State of the School address in early 2025.  In the meantime, Team Seacrest will be 100% focused on the pursuit of our mission each and every day.  I am grateful for this opportunity and look forward to partnering with each of you to help Seacrest realize its potential.  Together, we can guide this special place to an even better and brighter future.  Thank you for your inspiring support as we open up an exciting new chapter for our school.

With gratitude,

David Mahler
Head of School