As the new school year has officially begun, Bancroft welcomes a change in leadership. Meet Lisa Baker, the new Upper School head.

If you were to change one thing about Bancroft, what would you change and why?

I would have every student valued for what they bring by their peers as well as their teachers. Every student — whatever their interest or passion or care is — that everyone around them sees it and honors and values it, actively.

And do you think that currently is a problem lacking in the school?

I think, first of all, it’s always super hard. That’s a Baker dream, but I think students watch each other an awful lot to see what the other person’s response is going to be. Like what’s the response of a group to what I do. Who do I push out if I dress a certain way, say a certain thing, hold a certain position? So that’s one, can I give you another?

Yeah, of course.

We would learn and practice talking about hard things that feel polarized. That we would learn to listen without being in a position to argue all the time, or to shut someone down, or to make up our minds about someone based on one of their positions.

Okay, so creating a more open environment?

Yeah, I think our whole world needs that — I don’t think that’s just Bancroft. I think we’ve become more and more polarized; everything gets sorted into one of two boxes: A box or B box, and you have no choices about the other things. And that if you’re in A box it means you live and believe all of these things. And if you’re in B box, it means you live and believe all of these things. It’s a sorting mechanism and it’s completely failed and false.

Now, some lighter questions: what has been your favorite school lunch so far?

Okay, well I admit to going to the salad bar almost exclusively, but I have broken away from the salad bar for Yankee pot roast.

What has been the thing you like the most about Bancroft?

The willingness of people to say, “Yeah, let’s see if we can figure that out,” and the remarkable kindness that students have shown me.

Are you a cat or dog person?

Dog.

Do you have a dog, and if so what type?

“[I have] a yellow lab named Luna.”

What type of music do you listen to?

I’m a folk girl, indie folk stuff.