When thinking about life purpose in terms of our children, many parents like to dream big – believing that our sons and daughters can one day change the world for the better. Those emotions have fueled a lot of the great changes and progress the world has seen over the last 30 years as young people started taking the helm by using the digital world to change the way we live. Now, another initiative is taking aim at turning people into leaders and that initiative has found its way into education as a way to help children find their passions and become leaders and initiators of change in their own causes. This initiative has been germinating at Ravenscroft School in Raleigh, North Carolina for several years and people are starting to take note across the country. Leading the charge is Head of School Doreen Kelly as she and a talented faculty, staff, parent and alumni base aim high to help students identify a path in life and then use the curriculum to help them not only get there but also “lead from here.”

GUEST BIOGRAPHY

Mrs. Kelly leads the Leadership Team of the School and has been Head of School since July 2003. She joined the Ravenscroft faculty in July 1999 as the Director of the Lower School, also enjoying time in the classroom as a Lower School French teacher.

Mrs. Kelly graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in Education. She also studied for two years at Villanova University.

Prior to joining Ravenscroft, she served as Upper School Director of Studies, Head of Middle School, English teacher and volleyball coach over a 10-year career at Trinity-Pawling School, Pawling, N.Y. Prior to her responsibilities at Trinity-Pawling School, she taught English as a Second Language for two years at D’Education Populaire, France.

Mrs. Kelly is currently on the Board of the North Carolina Independent Schools (NCAIS). In addition, Mrs. Kelly is on the faculty for the Institute for New Heads for the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). She was formerly on the faculty for the National Association of Principals of Girls Schools (NAPGS), which includes co-ed schools for the Administrative Leadership Seminar for Women.

She is a former member, new-teacher trainer, and chair for evaluation teams for the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS), and has served on the board of the SAIS Accreditation Committee. She is a member of the Southern Headmasters’ Association and she serves on the board of the Spoleto Study Abroad Program as well as Note in the Pocket, a non-profit that seeks to clothe children with dignity and love.

Doreen and her husband, Chris, have three children. Their daughter, Erin, attends Elon and plays volleyball. Their second son, Sean, serves in the Admissions Office of the Carlthorp School in CA and their oldest son, Ryan (a professional basketball player) and his wife (also a Ravens alum) live in Spain with their two children.

SHOW NOTES

2:45 – Doreen Kelly – describes Ravenscroft School

3:50 – Overview of the “Lead From Here” initiative

6:27 – How much of a transition integrating “Lead From Here” was for the school.

8:16 – How and when does the conversation of talking about life after school start?

13:20 – How does Ravenscroft help students find their passion?

17:04 – How do you keep students from stressing themselves out when it comes towards making choices about life after scho...