Assistant Principal Karen Lassey Bound for the Emma Willard School Next Year as Head of School

By ERIN HAN, ALLEGRA LAI, LEON XIE, and ARISA YOSHINO.

At the end of the academic year, Assistant Principal Karen Lassey will be leaving the Academy after 28 years of service. She is bound for Emma Willard School, a girls’ preparatory school in New York, where she will serve as the next Head of School.

Over the course of nearly three decades, Lassey has served in various capacities, both in the classroom as a math teacher and as an administrator. She has left a lasting legacy on Exeter.

  “When I graduated from college, I was commissioned as an army engineer officer,” Lassey shared. “After some wartime deployments, my last assignment was to teach at the Army Engineer School in Missouri. After the Army, I worked for Corning, Inc., for a year, but I really liked teaching, and decided to switch careers. I taught physics for 10 years, then switched to the math department,” Lassey said. 

Many students and faculty that Lassey has encountered over the years have impacted her — too many to single out. However, through these interactions one lesson that has significantly influenced Lassey is the importance of collaboration. “Throughout my career, working with others—colleagues and students—has always produced the best results and been the most rewarding,” she said. “ The most meaningful work I have done has been with students—whether in the classroom, dorm, advisory, teams, clubs, projects.”

Lassey also expressed her high excitement to lead Emma Willard School. “It is a fantastic community and every day I learn more exciting details about their traditions and their hopes for the future. I will begin in July, but will visit campus for a few important events this year,” Lassey said. 

Principal Bill Rawson shared in this joy for Lassey as she embarks on this new chapter. “I think Emma Willard has made a terrific choice and I am looking forward to seeing Dr. Lassey thrive in her new role and responsibilities. I am absolutely confident she will.”

“Dr. Lassey has been a key thought partner on almost every issue imaginable during our time together,” Rawson reflected. “Managing through the pandemic was one of our greatest and certainly our most sustained challenges together; we worked very closely on all aspects of our safety protocols and making decisions — sometimes very difficult decisions — affecting all aspects of school life,” Rawson reflected. 

He commended Lassey further for her collaborative spirit and deep care for Exonians. “Dr. Lassey believes in using data to help inform but not dictate decisions, and she has helped us think about how we might collect more helpful data and use it more thoughtfully on behalf of our students. She sets a good example of having a strong voice and an open mind. And she cares deeply about the welfare of our students.”

“I will say it is nice to have a few laughs along the way, and we do,” Rawson added. “Dr. Lassey takes her work very seriously without taking herself too seriously, which can make for more fun meetings, even when the issues are hard.”

Rawson concluded by saying:“Dr. Lassey was a terrific colleague and thought partner. If you think back over her entire career here, there is not much Dr. Lassey has not done!” 

Upper Anna Keeling, a former student of Lassey’s, noted her warm presence in the classroom. “Dr. Lassey was a teacher that made the classroom comfortable and lighthearted. I felt like I could ask the questions I needed, and it was nice to be able to go to her at the learning center.”

She added, “I think her energy sets her apart. She has such a positive approach on learning.”

Senior Sophie Goldman, a resident of Gould House where Lassey serves as a dorm faculty, echoed Keeling in describing Lassey as approachable and compassionate. “What a delight she was to have in the dorm. I was lucky to know her prior to her becoming my dorm faculty, as a mentor in the learning center. Dr. Lassey is always willing to have meaningful conversations about anything — math, courses, life after Exeter, and so much more). If I had to describe her, I would say she is a caring woman who is always willing to have a conversation.”

She continued, “What sets her apart is how willing she is to help people. I am lucky that many of my dorm faculty have this trait, but she was one of the teachers who emphasized it most.”

Goldman also recalled a favorite memory she shared with Lassey. “My most memorable moment with Dr. Lassey was when she surprised our whole dorm with a table of fresh fruits. One night when she was on duty, she brought a giant bowl of strawberries, ten oranges, a giant box of grapes, a box of blueberries, and a box of raspberries. She made the dorm’s night, and did not expect anything in return.”

However, as she embarks on her new journey leading the Emma Willard School, Lassey will also miss the comfort of her Exonian home. “I’m already getting nostalgic about leaving Exeter. This has been a wonderful professional and personal home for me and my family for almost 29 years,” she said in fond retrospect.

Though Lassey’s time at Phillips Exeter Academy is coming to an end, her legacy and impact on the Exeter community will undoubtedly last for years to come.