Assistant Head of School Crissy Cáceres has accepted the opportunity to become Head of School at Brooklyn Friends School. This move, beginning on July 1, 2019, is something Crissy said she welcomes with joy and excitement.
Cáceres has been part of the GDS community since 2014, starting as the Director of Diversity and Inclusion. She rose to Assistant Head of School for Equity and Social Impact in 2015. She not only worked on diversity and equity issues and education at GDS but also organized the Future of Diversity Symposium in which GDS students partner with students from other schools about issues surrounding equity.
Cáceres’ proudest accomplishment, though, is not based on titles and events, but rather on her impact on individuals.
“I fervently believe that making space for one another’s stories is one of the greatest acts that we can engage in,” she said.
Over the years, she has not only listened to members of the community, but also has helped to turn students and adults into social justice leaders. She has left a profound, positive impact on many generations at GDS. As she put it, she set out to “care for [the] humanity” in our community. She succeeded.
GDS, in turn, has left a lasting impact on Cáceres. “I will miss many things about GDS,” she said. “I will miss the way in which we hold our students’ voices at the center of all that we do, and I will be sure to uphold this at BFS. I will miss the unapologetic way in which we make space to enjoy life within our school, making space for moments of pure fun! I will miss the level of care that I witness each day between students and teachers. I will miss the nooks and crannies of our hallways. I will miss the incredible colleagues who I have had the honor to work with each day. I will simply miss the beautifully imperfect essence and truth that is GDS.”
There will be a celebration of this accomplishment this spring. As Cáceres has fostered values of equity, social justice, and activism at GDS, she will work to bring these values to Brooklyn Friends School. The GDS community will miss her and her embodiment of GDS’s values greatly. As Cáceres stated, “having been a part of it is a gift that I will forever cherish.”