At the end of August, I had the opportunity to sit down with and interview Ms Joy Prince, our new Upper School Director, who is looking forward to doing great things with the AIS community. We met in her office on the English-History hallway and we were able to discuss all things Upper School.
Ms Prince was attracted to joining the Agnes Irwin community because she has worked in both independent school and single sex education for a long time. She is particularly drawn to Agnes Irwin’s trademarks of a memorable school history and traditions, stellar programming, community, and reputation for excellence. In the past, her roles have included teaching and working as a dean and college counselor. After working in those roles for a very long time, Ms Prince decided she would like to do something different. Her role as Upper School Director combines the administrative work of her previous roles with something new. Her previous roles were very focused on one specific area, but as the Upper School Director, Ms Prince must have the ability to see both the big picture of events as well as the granular details in order to support the Upper School as a whole as well as in specific areas.
Her first impression of the Upper School occurred at the Women’s Leadership seminar she attended in 2019, where she was also treated to a tour by one of the Upper School’s student tour guides. Ms Prince was immediately struck by the confidence and poise of the students she interacted with, and their “level of engagement in the student community.” She was also impressed by the relationships between students and teachers at Agnes Irwin, and values how much students are supported even outside of academics. When she appeared at the Leadership Training session for Upper School student leaders in August, Ms Prince was impressed by the level of the students’ ideas, the variety of areas in which they used their leadership, and how excited they were to be leaders in the community. This school year, she is most excited to be able to witness the true “magic of the Upper School” in its entirety. She is excited to meet with students and engage with faculty in the classrooms, and learn how everything at AIS really works while leading and emphasizing the mission of the Upper School.
When it comes to the personality and community of the Upper School, Ms Prince is most interested in learning about, watching, and participating in all the traditions that we most hold dear, including senior assemblies, AIS-EA day, as well as the performing and studio arts. Ms Prince has been extremely impressed by the student artwork that she has been able to see.
It was a big priority of Ms Prince coming into this school year to safely reopen the school and reintegrate the community. She is hopeful that if everyone follows the appropriate protocols and works together, we can return to a “normal student life experience in the Upper School.” Ms Prince seems very supportive of student initiatives and activism; she hopes to continue to cultivate an environment where students receive support from faculty in regards to their endeavors. She herself promises to have an open door to help students bring their passions to fruition, and encourages students to be articulate, specific, and proactive, and seek support for their ideas.
As for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, Ms Prince strongly believes that a community where voices, differences, similarities, and similarities are valued, as well as where ideals of leadership, academic excellence, and service are upheld, is a space where diversity, equity, and inclusion most help the community thrive. Ms Prince is committed to these ideals in service of the DEIB team. Her goal is to expand the narrative of who we are and what we do at Agnes Irwin and encourage students to learn about different cultures, beliefs, and ideologies. It is important to Ms Prince that students remember that we don’t have to necessarily accept other’s ideas for our own, but rather celebrate what the whole community brings. She also doesn’t want us to forget how much we do have in common as a community, and wants everyone to be able to hear each other and acknowledge that reality.
