A Message from Gigi DiBello, our new Head of School

As a middle school educator and founding faculty member at a neighboring charter school, I watched like a curious cheerleader on the sidelines as Sophia Academy developed over the last six years. I was impressed with the clarity of Sophia’s mission, with the creative and committed interactions I’d seen between staff and students, and with their innovative mentoring of young women.

It was clear to me from all that I’d heard about Sophia that the next phase of the school’s development would be a very vital and invaluable one. I felt that I could bring a unique set of skills and experiences to the Head of School position, and I welcomed an opportunity to help shape the vision for Sophia Academy. Needless to say, I am delighted and honored to be Sophia’s first Head of School and am humbled to follow in Mary Reilly’s footsteps. Anyone who knows Mary knows her to be a change agent. She works as an advocate for children and women, finding ways to develop institutions to respond to the needs in our community. Sophia Academy is part of her legacy.

Like Mary, my primary goal as a middle school educator has been to create an environment where students feel safe, challenged, engaged and powerful. I am influenced by the work of John Dewey and the progressive education movement; I regularly draw from the political ideals of the women’s movement and the tenets of gender equity; I am inspired by the Highlander Folk School in Tennessee (where the labor movement and the civil rights movement were born); I routinely draw from the Responsive Classroom (as developed by the Northeast Foundation for Children) in my daily practice; I believe in creating powerful literacy opportunities for children as it is taught at the Reading and Writing Project at Columbia University; I have learned from Mel Levine’s work with Schools Attuned about the necessity for differentiated instruction in order for all children to learn and feel understood.

My philosophy is informed by the experiences I have daily with a diverse group of children and their families. It is my core belief that by listening well to students, with a compassionate but discerning ear, one can create an environment that is transformative and generative. By modeling respectful dialogue and by institutionalizing equitable structures for intellectual exchange both in and out of the classroom, one can allow students to develop their own voices as mature and productive young people.

It is my philosophy that good educators harness into productive outlets the abundant energy students bring. Middle school students are highly interested in their peers as well as in their own intensely confusing inner journeys. However, they are also generally taken with power and justice as they relate to this age group. Our surrounding community provides an engaging topography for learning. Schools need adults to teach, guide, inspire and connect with students in the core subject areas but also in the students’ interests and passions. It is not only poignant but life-changing for a student to be mentored by an adult community member (not necessarily a teacher) who shares an interest in cooking, building, or dancing. Similarly, it can be transformative to be in smaller learning communities or affinity groups of the same gender, race, or culture, where opportunities for leadership, networking, risk-taking and growth evolve in unique ways.

I am delighted to be a part of an educational setting where adolescent girls can meet myriad personal and environmental challenges, to experience joy and grow into healthy, productive, thoughtful adults.

I am pleased that you have visited our website and encourage you to schedule a visit to the school if you haven’t already been here. Sophia Academy is supported entirely through grants and private donations. For more information, please contact the development office. Thank you for your interest in Sophia Academy.

Gigi DiBello
Head of School
Sophia Academy