A Celebration of New Beginnings

Advent is a time of joy, expectation, and celebration of new beginnings. It is also a time of remembering God’s faithfulness to His promises, telling old stories in new ways. At Ambleside, we remember the stories of God’s promises of a Savior each day with our Jesse Tree tradition at morning worship.

This Advent, we have an additional reason to celebrate here at Ambleside—the Ambleside Board of Trustees has selected a new Head of School, Mrs. Kristin Nowak, who will begin a new era of Ambleside’s leadership in the summer of 2021. 

Mrs. Kristin Nowak

Mrs. Nowak is a long-time educator with deep expertise in the Charlotte Mason pedagogy. She has taught students for over a dozen years, in grades ranging from 1st to 12th—eight of those years were at Ambleside. Mrs. Nowak is a respected and beloved middle school teacher, mentor and colleague. Her academic credentials include a Bachelor of Science in Biology from George Mason University, and a Master’s Degree in Education from George Washington University.  

Over the past nine months, Ambleside’s Search Committee reviewed 30 applications, undertook phone and in-person interviews with nine candidates, and conducted two-day intensive interviews with each of five candidates. The Search Committee and then the Board of Trustees spent many hours in prayer and deliberation over the applications and decisions set before them, all the while supported by the faithful intercession of Ambleside staff, faculty, and current and former families.

There are many stories of God’s faithfulness to the work of Ambleside, and Mrs. Nowak taking on the mantle of leadership is one of them.  Her tenure will begin a new chapter in a familiar story—the story of God’s kept promises to His people. 

As we move joyfully and expectantly into the Advent season, we remember, we pause and we celebrate … Immanuel … the God who is with us … always.

Virginia R. Wilcox

Head of School