Yom Fox departed the school in June after a three-year tenure as high school principal. Fox began her tenure during the waning years of the COVID-19 pandemic, and she has left the high school with a new dean system, an updated academic framework and a phone ban.
On June 17, Head of School Russell Shaw and Fox sent an email to the school community announcing Fox’s departure. In the email, which was sent 11 days after students’ summer break began, Fox cited health challenges and prioritization of her well-being as reasons for her departure. After working at The Dalton School in New York City for 12 years as both a teacher and administrator, Fox became the first woman of color to be high school principal at GDS in the summer of 2022.
“It has been an honor to grow and lead alongside you during these years,” Fox wrote in the email to the community. “Together, we’ve built stronger systems and deepened our culture, always with students at the center.”
Fox was the third high-level administrator to announce a departure in the 2024-2025 school year. In March, Head of School Russell Shaw announced he would depart the school after the 2025-2026 school year. Then, in April, Associate Head of School Meg Goldner Rabinowitz announced she would depart after the 2024-2025 school year. Rabinowitz joined the Maret School on July 1. Both Fox and Rabinowitz began their tenures at GDS in the summer of 2022.
In an email to the Bit, Fox said her decision to leave the school was made independently of Shaw and Goldner Rabinowitz’s decisions to leave.
“It feels like it definitely came out of nowhere,” rising junior Izzy Choudhary said, referring to Fox’s announcement. “There wasn’t really any hint of her leaving throughout the school year or any other time. It seemed like a bit of a random time for this to be announced, so I was definitely surprised.”
“This was a difficult decision, shaped by the need to prioritize my overall health and well-being,” Fox wrote to the Bit. “The timing of the announcement was coordinated with school leadership and aligned with the rhythms of the school year and transition planning.”
Rising junior Jana Abdel-Gawad said she was surprised to hear Fox was departing. “We have already had so many faculty and administration leave this year and there have been a lot of moving parts in the inner workings of GDS,” she said. “I was just surprised that she would leave.”
Shaw told the Bit that once Fox decided to leave the school, he needed to find an interim principal and then discussed a transition plan with the high school assistant principals. “Once all of that was clear, we wanted to share it with the community as soon as we could,” Shaw said. Shaw said he told the Board of Trustees the day prior to the June 17 email, and he told faculty of Fox’s departure on a Zoom call a few hours before the email was sent to the community.
Shaw deferred specific questions about the timing of Fox’s departure to her. In an email to the Bit, Fox did not specify why her departure announcement came late in the school year. “What I hope remains clear between this response and that communication is my care for the community and my intention to leave the division in a strong, student-centered place,” Fox wrote.
“I think there was not a ton of integration between [Fox] as a head of administration and the student body,” Abdel-Gawad said. “I think that’s why some people didn’t one hundred percent feel like she was a good fit for GDS. I just think there wasn’t a ton of effort to try and bridge that gap and it caused a rift.”
“Connection looks different for every student—and while I built meaningful relationships with many, I know others may not have experienced me in that way,” Fox wrote to the Bit. “The role of a principal is a unique one, and often not fully visible. Much of my work happens behind the scenes—supporting faculty, setting direction, and thinking not just about who students are now, but who they might become,” she wrote.
“[Fox] was always at assemblies and talking with students,” rising senior Madeleine Genia said. “I’ve moved around a lot of schools and I think it’s very easy for a principal to stay in their office and not interact with students, but she did interact with us.”
Director of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid Chris Levy will serve as interim high school principal for the 2025-2026 school year. Levy has worked at the school since 2005. Prior to heading admissions, Levy served as a science teacher, grade dean and assistant principal for academics. “I am confident that Chris’s strong, principled, humane leadership will serve the high school well during this year of transition,” Shaw wrote in the June 17 email.
“The goal isn’t necessarily to come in and change anything,” Levy said in an interview with the Bit. “It’s really ‘how do I offer some stability while we go through the process of searching for the next high school principal?’” Levy did not describe any specific plans for the upcoming school year, but he said he would meet with students to understand their needs.
“Be yourself,” Fox wrote to the Bit, describing her advice for future principals of the high school. “This job is hard work, and the only sustainable way to do it is by leading in a way that’s authentic to who you are,” she said. Fox also advised future principals to stay student-centered, trust their instincts and be collaborative. “And don’t forget to laugh. Joy is part of the work, too.”
“If I had to point to one area with the most lasting potential,” Fox wrote, “I’d say the work to clarify and align our academic systems—especially around grading, communication, and course structure. That work was all about creating more consistency and transparency for students and teachers.”
Under Fox’s leadership, the high school administration introduced a phone ban at the start of the 2024-2025 school year. The policy prevents students from using their phones during school hours. In May 2025, the high school administration announced that a new dean system would go into effect in the 2025-2026 school year. The system, which was finalized under Fox’s leadership, places one full-time dean in charge of freshmen and sophomores, and another full-time dean in charge of juniors and seniors.
Ten high school teachers across seven departments left the school after the 2024-2025 year. In a May 23 email to families that announced these departures, Shaw wrote that the school experiences an average of a ten percent departure rate each year. According to Shaw, that ten percent figure is consistent with independent schools nationally.
This fall, the school will launch a search for the next long-term high school principal. According to Shaw, the school will share information about the process with the community in the fall. In the June 17 email, Fox noted that the timing of her departure will allow for Shaw’s replacement—the next head of school—to be involved in the hiring of the next high school principal.
“It’s completely normal to feel a mix of things during a transition: nervous, curious, even a little excited,” Fox wrote to the Bit. “But I’d also remind [students] that GDS is a strong, mission-driven community—and that doesn’t change just because a new person steps into the role.”
Teresa Dean contributed reporting.
This article was updated on August 14.
CORRECTION (Sept. 8 at 12:10 p.m.): The original version of this article incorrectly spelled Madeleine Genia’s name.