With more than thirty years of experience in independent schools, Head of School Ronnie Codrington-Cazeau is known for her student-centered focus and her commitment to serving a diverse community. She previously served as the head of school at The Evergreen School in Seattle and also served in leadership and teaching positions at several private schools, including Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles and The Park School in Brookline, Massachusetts.

You are beginning your fifth year at UPrep. What have been some of the highlights so far?

I am proud that UPrep continues to be one of the most sought-after independent schools in Seattle. 

This fall, we will welcome our largest ninth grade class as we open our new building, the ULab, which will offer students more opportunities for joyful self-discovery. This building will have interdisciplinary classrooms where students and teachers can work together. There will be small spaces, called co-labs, and larger common areas for students to work together, socialize, and meet in small groups. The College Counseling Office will have a work room where students can explore college options and think about the steps after UPrep. There will also be space for students to organize their LaunchPad projects and to plan their next adventure in the Global and Outdoor Education Office.

I am proud of our strategic planning work that will guide us into a very bright future. UPrep’s Board of Trustees, in partnership with the school’s senior leadership, developed Strategic Plan 2021: A Bold Vision for the Future. At its core are five guideposts—Belonging, Innovation, Excellence, Talent, and Identity—that serve as principles for decision making and guide the implementation of UPrep’s mission, vision, and values.

What led you to UPrep?

UPrep is a warm and welcoming community with innovative teachers and involved parents.

I came to UPrep because it was a school founded by seven Seattle pioneers who left their public-school teaching jobs to found an inclusive and diverse community that would guide students to reach their potential to become intellectually courageous and prepare them to be socially responsible citizens of the world. I went into education to change lives. I believe in the words of Nelson Mandela: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

Why did you become an educator?

I didn’t always want to be a teacher but teaching and the value of a good education is in my blood. I spent my early years in England, a middle child being raised by parents who immigrated to England to further their education. My father, a former math teacher, British army captain, and business owner originally from Barbados, joined the army to earn his college degree. My mother, a classical pianist and music teacher originally from Guyana, moved to England to study at the London College of Music. My parents eventually moved their three children back to Barbados to immerse us in a culture where people who looked like us held positions of power. They taught us that the world was ours for the taking and the path to success was through education.

Our immigration journey to America was not a smooth one. My mother chose to move us to Boston, because through research she learned that the city was home to one of the best free high schools in the country. Boston Latin High School sent graduates to excellent colleges, and that was her dream for her three children.

I thought back on all of this as I sat in a dean’s office debating my future in my senior year of college. I recalled the college courses I enjoyed the most. I reflected on the fact that it wasn’t a single course I enjoyed but the experience of volunteering in a local high school. I left the dean’s office, filled out applications for teaching internships in every Boston area independent school, and thus my path to independent school leadership was launched.

UPrep’s tagline is “Lead a Life of Learning.” What does that mean?

For a long time, independent school leaders who are colleagues of mine likened the pace of change in our schools to the pace of a snail: a slow crawl. However, in the past few years, independent schools have been quick to adapt as the needs of our communities changed. The world grew smaller as we all worked together to lessen the impact of the pandemic on student learning. 

UPrep is taking the recent lessons learned to envision education as flexible, innovative, and adaptable to the culture of a rapidly changing global environment. In August 2022, Forbes Magazine published an article titled “The Top 10 Most In-Demand Skills for the Next 10 Years.” These skills are digital literacy, data literacy, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, creativity, collaboration, flexibility, leadership skills, time management, and curiosity and continuous learning. The new ULab was built with these skills in mind. 

At UPrep, our teachers ask students to collect and analyze data to validate their experiments and the conclusions they gather from their research. We ask our students to work together, give them a voice on campus, and teach them to be flexible, manage their time well, be curious, and always ready to learn. We ask the same of our adults and we provide them with professional development funds so they can model this continuous learning for our community. 

Together, we aspire to lead a life of learning.

What is your favorite thing about UPrep?

I love working with our students: a diverse group of students who come to us from nearly 50 different elementary schools across the city. Many of them travel great distances to attend our school. They are advocates for themselves and each other. I look forward to the world they will one day lead. 

To learn more about Ronnie, check out this video, where she shares how she enjoys her downtime with her family, and more!