Dear NYA Community:

As I write you, it’s a cool afternoon in August and the start to the school year is that much more easily imagined. In my office and across campus, we’re preparing for everything from preseason and New Student Orientation to the opening faculty meetings with a sense of energy and optimism that September brings to all of us in education.

While I have been working on a wide variety of projects, I have also been actively engaged in conversation with teachers, staff, parents, students, alumni and Board members with the intent of learning as much as possible about the people, traditions, and experiences that have made NYA such a wonderful school. I have learned in greater detail about some of the more recent challenges and concerns that our community shares. These conversations have been frank, fruitful, and indicative of the care and love you all have for NYA, and I feel more honored than ever to lead an institution that so many of you hold dear.

Let me use this moment to ask you to please keep the conversation flowing this year. Respectful, engaged discussion that leads to clear, well-communicated decisions is an incredibly powerful way to move forward. I am eager to share that process with all of you and to hear your stories of our recent history as well as your aspirations for the year to come. For my part, I plan to be in touch regularly and have set aside open office hours on Fridays from 9:45-11:00 a.m. for anyone in our community to visit.

Enjoy these last few days of summer. I cannot wait to greet you on the first day of school.

Yours truly,

Brad Choyt
Head of School