The lazy, quiet days of summer are a strategically savvy time to announce important
changes at a high-profile school where President Obama’s daughters are students,
especially when the school is in the midst of a sex scandal.
That’s just how Sidwell Friends is handling the resignation of
its head of school,
Tom Farquhar, who got the job only a few years ago, in 2010. Just before the weekend, a message
went out to parents from Farquhar and board of trustees head Lissa Muscatine, announcing that Farquhar would retire at the conclusion of the 2014-15 academic
year. Farquhar said he will pursue a career as an organic vegetable grower. Muscatine
said the search for his successor has begun.
“While changes in leadership are never easy,” wrote Muscatine, “we are fortunate that
Sidwell Friends finds itself on such solid footing as we enter this period of transition.”
Farquhar, in his letter, did not explain his reasons for retiring but called his career
there a “special privilege.” He started as a teacher in 1978.
The announcement comes just months before a trial in DC
Superior Court that is certain
to involve a lot of Sidwell’s dirty laundry. It centers on a
lawsuit
filed by a parent, Arthur “Terry” Newmyer, against the school and the school’s psychologist, whom Newmyer claims had an affair
with his wife while also counseling his five-year-old daughter. Among those subpoenaed
to testify are Elsa Walsh, wife of Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward. Their daughter is a student. In addition to Malia and Sasha Obama, the student body includes the grandchildren of Vice President Biden.
At the end of his letter, Farquhar wrote that being an organic vegetable gardener
was a career path he chose after graduating from college but apparently set aside
for teaching. “I’ve always wondered whether the garden is a metaphor for school, or
vice-versa. Both are places where, at times, we can be amazed by transcendent beauty,
warm fellowship, and extraordinary growth.”
The Head of Sidwell Friends Suddenly Announces His Resignation
Tom Farquhar will retire at the conclusion of the 2014-15 academic year.
The lazy, quiet days of summer are a strategically savvy time to announce important
changes at a high-profile school where
President Obama’s daughters are students,
especially when the school is in the midst of a sex scandal.
That’s just how Sidwell Friends is handling the resignation of
its head of school,
Tom Farquhar, who got the job only a few years ago, in 2010. Just before the weekend, a message
went out to parents from Farquhar and board of trustees head
Lissa Muscatine, announcing that Farquhar would retire at the conclusion of the 2014-15 academic
year. Farquhar said he will pursue a career as an organic vegetable grower. Muscatine
said the search for his successor has begun.
“While changes in leadership are never easy,” wrote Muscatine, “we are fortunate that
Sidwell Friends finds itself on such solid footing as we enter this period of transition.”
Farquhar, in his letter, did not explain his reasons for retiring but called his career
there a “special privilege.” He started as a teacher in 1978.
The announcement comes just months before a trial in DC
Superior Court that is certain
to involve a lot of Sidwell’s dirty laundry. It centers on a
lawsuit
filed by a parent,
Arthur “Terry” Newmyer, against the school and the school’s psychologist, whom Newmyer claims had an affair
with his wife while also counseling his five-year-old daughter. Among those subpoenaed
to testify are
Elsa Walsh, wife of
Washington Post reporter
Bob Woodward. Their daughter is a student. In addition to
Malia and Sasha Obama, the student body includes the grandchildren of
Vice President Biden.
At the end of his letter, Farquhar wrote that being an organic vegetable gardener
was a career path he chose after graduating from college but apparently set aside
for teaching. “I’ve always wondered whether the garden is a metaphor for school, or
vice-versa. Both are places where, at times, we can be amazed by transcendent beauty,
warm fellowship, and extraordinary growth.”
Most Popular in News & Politics
What It Felt Like for a Virginia Marching Band to Win Metallica’s Contest
What’s IN and OUT in DC Restaurant Trends for 2024
Introducing 8 of DC’s Most Stylish
Best of Washington 2023: Things to Eat, Drink, Do, and Know Right Now
Washingtonian Magazine
May 2024: Great Getaways
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
13 Major Concerts and Music Festivals in the DC Area This Spring
Mary Timony on Her Emotional New Album, “Untame the Tiger”
The Beatles in DC: A New Exhibit in Maryland Looks Back on Early Beatlemania
Northern Virginia High School Wins Metallica’s Marching Band Competition
More from News & Politics
Democrats and Republicans Pass Balls, Not Bills, at Congressional Soccer Game
3 New Memoirs by Prominent Women
Everything You Wanted to Know About Urban Bear Sightings but Were Afraid to Ask, Because Who Wants to Get That Close to a Bear?
Rockville Police Are Searching for Culprits of a $4,500 Pickleball Paddle Heist
Dozens of Vintage Planes Will Fly Over the National Mall This Saturday
PHOTOS: “Rupaul’s Drag Race” Queens Work It at the National Mall
Meet the NIH Detectives Cracking Medicine’s Toughest Cases
5 of DC’s Most Interesting Ideas for Revitalizing Chinatown