Molly MacKean to Leave Academy After 6 Year Run

Next fall, Exeter’s beloved History Instructor of six years, Molly MacKean, will assume the position of Academic Dean at the Drew School in San Francisco. Throughout her time here, she has served as the JV field hockey coach and the Wheelwright Hall dorm head. MacKean has decided to leave Exeter and move across the country in pursuit of new endeavors in the coming school year.

“MacKean is strict, in a good way; she wants to make sure that standards are maintained, people get their sleep, students feel safe, and everyone works to be the best person they can be.”

MacKean described her evolving career interest from the classroom to the administrative field. “I've been thinking more and more about the way administrative structures support the work the teachers do in the classroom and I became interested in those kinds of questions,” she said. “So, for me, it felt right to begin to think about the way we help kids be their best versions of themselves in a more structural capacity.”

MacKean emphasized that she will not be leaving education completely. Rather, she will be influencing a different aspect of it. “I remain very committed to education as my career,” she said. “But, I want to begin to look at education and teaching from a new angle.”

The Drew School particularly appealed to MacKean because of its openness to new ideas. “They're having a moment right now where they have a new head of school and they are trying to think very deliberately about how they can change some of the things they do without changing who they are,” she said. “Those are really interesting conversations to me, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to engage in the kinds of questions that have been interesting me and to push myself and to keep learning as an educator as well.”

Upper Grace Khaner has gotten to know MacKean well during her time at Exeter. “I met Ms. MacKean first when she was my field hockey coach lower fall,” she said. “Then, [I] had her as a teacher for Art and the State lower winter, which was by far my favorite class I've taken at Exeter.”

Khaner also praised MacKean for her bubbly personality and amiability. “My favorite thing about Ms. MacKean is how fun she is to be around and how caring she is,” she said. “She's always smiling and checking in with all of us on the team even outside of the season!”

Lower Gracie Goodwin, another member of the JV girls field hockey team, echoed Khaner’s sentiment, describing how she always looked forward to “seeing her smile anywhere on campus.” Goodwin also described some of her best times with MacKean.“My favorite memories with Ms. MacKean would definitely be how it became our ritual to yell, ‘Are you pumped?’ at each other before every game,” she said. “I would run up to her and give her a huge high five. We didn’t miss doing it a single game that season and I couldn’t imagine that team without her.”

Lower Adrian Venzon had MacKean as a history teacher for one term and as a chaperone on a school spring break trip. “My favorite attributes about her are her humor and likable personality,” he said. “She makes class super fun.”

History Instructor and Girls JV Lacrosse coach Alexa Caldwell said that she was sad to hear of MacKean’s impending departure and will miss her strong personality. “She radiates confidence, is quick to offer help or her opinion from her experience, and always adds to a group dynamic,” Caldwell said. “It is these qualities, in part, that make her such a talented teacher and friend.” She went on to explain how MacKean takes intelligent risks which allows for an exciting and original curriculum. “She is willing to think creatively, while still grounded in reality. This is a great combination for an educator,” Caldwell said.

History Instructor Amy Schwartz, who serves as a dormitory faculty member in Wheelwright Hall, admires MacKean for her ability to bring her vast imagination to class instruction. “She is a workhorse, who uses her many talents to find new ways to teach and encourage her students,” Schwartz said. “She developed the Art & State course which is our most popular course in the department. We had nothing like it before she created it.”

Schwartz also commended MacKean’s for her role as dorm head of Wheelwright Hall. “MacKean is strict, in a good way; she wants to make sure that standards are maintained, people get their sleep, students feel safe, and everyone works to be the best person they can be,” she said.

MacKean will be missed by students in Wheelwright Hall, whom she calls her “chickadees.”  Whether leading dorm meetings or dressing up as a golden snitch from Harry Potter on Academy Life Day, MacKean has worked hard to strengthen the dormitory community. Prep, Wheelwright Hall member and JV field hockey team player Helen Xiu particularly remembers getting sick during a difficult practice and feeling supported by her dorm head and coach. Lower Camilla Pelliccia, another resident of Wheelwright, also has felt supported by MacKean. “She is really good at balancing the right amount of letting me figure stuff out and stepping in when I need help,” she said. “ If I need help, I’ll text her and she’ll come down to my room.”

MacKean said that she will miss Exeter and its many quirks, including the school’s unique lexicon. She hopes to carry the sense of comradeship that is fostered at Exeter with her. “I'm hoping I can take the spirit that really saturates our community here at Exeter and then continue to see how much it can be innovated and adapted to the practical realities of teaching and learning at other schools,” she said.

Though thrilled with the upcoming change in her life,  MacKean is somewhat anxious about going forward and having to create a new foundation for herself in San Francisco. “I've made an amazing support structure for myself here. Stepping away from them is, of course, going to create some trepidation,” she said. “My family is around here, I have amazing friends on this campus, and there's an incredible luxury to be able to call your friends and be able to say ‘Hey wanna grab a quick bite?’ and everyone lives in walking distance from each other. That doesn't exist in most of the world.”

MacKean feels that she will ultimately be able to find a place for herself on the West Coast. “I am nervous about some of the changes coming up in my life. It's a huge move—I'm moving all the way across the country,” she said. “But if you just go in feeling excited and communicating what you're excited about and what makes you nervous, I think, then, people are willing to help you and help you settle in and you find yourself landing on your feet.”