SHANNON SCHMIDT |
DIRECTOR OF THE BOYCE CENTER FOR LEARNING AND THRIVING |
GARRISON FOREST SCHOOL
Prior to coming on board as the inaugural Director of the Boyce Center for Learning and Thriving at Garrison Forest School, Shannon served as the Head of the GFS Middle School for five years and, before that, served as the GFS Middle School Curriculum and Academic Resource Coordinator. She has been a member of the Residential Life community for five years. Shannon brings a deep knowledge and understanding of GFS to this role, as well as an unflappable enthusiasm, strong sense of collaborative leadership and an inspiring vision for how the Boyce Center can truly elevate the experience of every student on our campus. She shares her thoughts on the school and what she hopes to achieve in her role.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR SCHOOL TO PARENTS WHO ARE THINKING ABOUT APPLYING?
Garrison Forest School is a place that prioritizes relationships, allowing us to truly know your daughter: her strengths, what challenges her, her dreams and her passions. We excel at celebrating each girl for who she is at each point in her individual journey – helping her build the confidence, the skills, the drive and the resiliency to set big goals and work hard to reach them, knowing she has a community of supporters cheering her on. Our girls appreciate that they matter to their teachers, to their classmates and to the broader community and are empowered to share their opinions, own their excellence and embrace the process of learning and growing. My favorite thing about Garrison Forest is that there is no one way to be a Garrison Girl, and each student is encouraged to be authentically themselves in all that they do. Our girls are inspired to be curious and nurture their passions, enabling them to become well-rounded students and thriving young women, in the classroom, on the fields, in college and in their careers.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE IN YOUR ROLE?
As the Inaugural Director of the Boyce Center for Learning and Thriving, I hope to empower our girls to embrace their gifts, explore their passions, and tackle challenges with a growth mindset. I am excited to work with teachers to support students and to help them create engaging and innovative learning experiences for our girls that are differentiated according to their needs. I hope to intentionally design our program to address student wellbeing at each stage of a student’s journey, helping each individual thrive while shaping Garrison Forest into the healthiest school for girls and a pioneer in all-girls’ education
This article is part of the 2024-2025 Guide to Baltimore Independent Schools.
