Introducing Speyer's new Head of Lower School: Dr. Heather Pinedo-Burns!
The Speyer Legacy School is thrilled to share that we have hired our next Head of Lower School, Dr. Heather Pinedo-Burns! In the words of Head of School Larry Donovan: “Heather’s experience and expertise and her many positive personal qualities make her the best fit for Speyer.” Dr. Pinedo-Burns is currently the Director of the Hollingworth Preschool at Teachers College, Columbia University.
From a robust pool of more than 26 applicants, Speyer’s Head of Lower School Search Committee engaged with eight semifinalists. The members of the search committee met with each of them, and Head of School Larry Donovan had a one-on-one with each candidate as well.
Of that eight, three finalists engaged with members of our Speyer community virtually. During a day of “Zooming,” each finalist met with our faculty, small groups of administrators and staff, a group of fourth grade students, and Speyer parents. The goal of recreating what a visit would have looked like while in Speyer’s physical space was met.
Many members in Speyer’s community provided feedback about Dr. Pinedo-Burns after her day of Zoom meetings. In the words of some of the teachers, “Heather is obviously very knowledgeable about gifted education and education in general,” and “She understands the roots of the school because of her connection to Hollingworth.” From one of the parents came this statement: “[Dr.] Pinedo-Burns is very knowledgeable and seems to have extensive experience in education and with the student population that makes up Speyer – accelerated/gifted students.”
Donovan also commented on how Dr. Pinedo-Burns’ experience will benefit the entire Speyer community. “I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiments shared,” said Donovan, “Heather’s experience and expertise and her many positive personal qualities make her the best fit for Speyer.”
Dr. Pinedo-Burns is currently the Director of the Hollingworth Preschool at Teachers College, Columbia University. Concurrently, she has been an adjunct professor at Columbia, teaching classes about differentiating instruction and leading workshops on gifted education. Previous experiences teaching at the college level include serving as an adjunct professor at Pace University and as a part-time faculty member at Adelphi University. Dr. Pinedo-Burns also leads workshops for PreK through Grade 12 educators on topics like the identification of potentially gifted students, and she is a certified trainer for the Department of Environmental Conservation. Earlier in her career, she served as a literacy coach, a writing resource teacher, and a co-director of a photography club.
A prolific writer, Dr. Pinedo-Burns has covered topics ranging from environmental science to practitioner research. She served as the keynote speaker at a Guangdong University of Education symposium on “Future-Oriented Preschool Education.”
Dr. Pinedo-Burns earned her BA in English at SUNY Geneseo, her MA in Teaching of English at Teachers College, Columbia University, and her Ed. D. in Curriculum and Teaching, Educational Leadership, also at Teachers College.
She and her husband Aris (for Aristides) are delighted to join the Speyer community, not just through her role as the Head of Lower School: their daughter Frankie will be joining Speyer’s Kindergarten class this September. They also have a one-year-old daughter, Fernanda, known as Fern.
The entire Speyer community would like to thank the Search Committee for their extraordinary commitment to the search process. They spent untold hours reviewing resumes, interviewing candidates, guiding our finalists through the Zoom hiring process, and reflecting on the feedback received from everyone. We owe a significant debt of gratitude to: Anne Cochran, Lower School Parent Rep Coordinator; Michelle Cristella, Head of Middle School; Rahmel Huffman, Physical Education Teacher and Athletic Director; Abbie Rindfuss, Grade Two Teacher; Susan Rothenbucher, Kindergarten Teacher; and Jessy Trejo, Associate Director of Admissions.
Thanks also to Deirdre Ling of Educators’ Collaborative who guided us along the path and found us our robust pool of candidates.
We welcome Dr. Pinedo-Burns and her family to Speyer! Below is message from her to all of the Speyer Community:
Dear Speyer Community Members,
It is with joyful anticipation that I write my first letter to you as the incoming Head of the Lower School. I come to you not only as a future member of the administration but also as a proud parent.
As I reflect upon my day of visiting with the Speyer community virtually, meeting with members of the search committee earlier this spring, my conversations with Larry Donovan, and as a prospective parent through admissions events in the fall, I continue to be inspired by the remarkable earnestness, energy, and sense of promise communicated in each of the meetings by the students, the families, the teachers, and the administration. There is an energy that is uniquely Speyer that defines the community, and shapes it unlike any other independent school I have seen. It is the Speyer magic.
On my visits, and through my conversations, I realized again and again that Speyer is a very special place. I saw that it is a school where out-of-the-box thinking and innovation are ways of being. I saw a vibrancy within the classroom communities, and in the words, wonderings, and works of the students. My experience tells me that this is made possible only by deep respect for students as confident, capable change agents within not only their school community, but our greater world. I am eager to work within a community that holds such beliefs and has the collective strength in practice to boldly teach and inspire the students.
I’ve been at my current school for 17 years. I know change is hard but change also offers opportunities for renewal, growth, and possibilities. I am looking forward to speaking with each of you and hearing more about what you believe and hope for your future at the school, and for the school itself. I am delighted and honored to join, learn from, and lead a lower school community that resonates so deeply with my beliefs about teaching and learning. Speyer is a school I can believe in and commit to.
In Collaboration,
Dr. Heather Pinedo-Burns