At the start of the school year, I had the pleasure of sitting down and speaking with Agnes Irwin’s new Assistant Head of School, Dr. Elizabeth Rossini. Dr. Rossini has worked in education for over thirty years and has much experience and wisdom to share with the AIS community.
One way she hopes to help is by bringing what she calls “curricular architecture” to the school. She speaks about the school’s “portrait of a graduate” and underscores the importance of “trans-disciplinary skills.” Dr. Rossini hopes to work alongside her colleagues to unpack and understand Agnes Irwin’s curricular goals, which she hopes she will be able to share with students and families.
Her mantra as an educator is that “school should be joyful… There can be some pressure and there can be some kind of healthy stress, but schools should be joyful places.” She believes “care and learning go hand-in-hand.” Additionally, she believes in “fierce advocacy.” She wants us to advocate for the school’s mission, for ourselves, and for the entire school.
At Agnes Irwin, Dr. Rossini wants herself to be visible. She wants to go into classrooms and learn what it is like to work here in any capacity: whether that be as a teacher, administrator, or student. She wants “to do a lot of listening and learning” and to build relationships and trust.
This year, she encourages us to “prioritize the community… Assume the best intentions of each other, and give each other respect and care… If you have a question or concern, bring it forward. Make sure your voice is heard!” She states, “Students must be partners and co-creators in their [learning] experience[s], and we must listen to the voices of students.” She affirms, “School should be a place of possibility.” She hopes “people will come to [her] office with ideas, thoughts, or conundrums” and that she can help out as much as possible. Lastly, she advises, “Remember who you are and be proud of who you are!”
Dr. Rossini grew up in Wisconsin with her five siblings and has lived in London, Bangkok, Northern Virginia, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Her husband Mike Rutherford has his own business and her son William, who just finished his MBA, is now working in Denver. Her daughter Kelly is a senior at the University of Virginia, where she is studying pediatric nursing. Dr. Rossini has two dogs: a Labradoodle named Bella and a Yellow Lab named Luna. In her free time, Dr. Rossini loves to cook and bake. She is also very interested in sports, having played tennis, squash, pickleball, volleyball, and basketball. In addition, she loves to travel and read.
Dr. Rossini attended the University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse for her undergrad. She then went on to complete her Master’s Degrees in Administration and Technology at George Mason University. Finally, she received her Ph.D. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Dr. Rossini began her work in education as a public school teacher and then moved into the Office of Curriculum and Professional Development. She later became an elementary school principal but realized this job was not for her. For fourteen years, she worked as a consultant on curriculum assessment in nine countries and thirty-one states. One of her clients of two years, a school in Bangkok, Thailand, asked Dr. Rossini to join its team. She accepted and worked in Bangkok for seven years before returning to the United States. Dr. Rossini’s last job before coming to AIS was at the Nueva School in California, where she served as Director of Teaching and Learning .
While in some ways she felt the Nueva School was her dream school, it was too far away from her family. She had worked with public, international, and independent schools, and she knew she wanted to work at an all-girls school. Enter: Agnes Irwin. Dr. Rossini loved everything she learned about Agnes Irwin, but she especially appreciated the school’s “girl-centeredness.” During her interview, she fell in love with the Agnes Irwin community and observed that AIS is a place that “lives its values.” She loves how AIS teachers partner with their students and that Agnes Irwin’s mission aligns with her values as a person and an educator.
