Meet Heather Washburn, the New Scottsdale Prep Headmaster

Scottsdale Prep will welcome a new headmaster, Heather Washburn, when classes begin this fall. While she will be a fresh face to the academy, Washburn is no stranger to the Great Hearts. She has served the network for over 15 years as a highly regarded leader.

“I often quip that, at my core, I am still a homeschool mom, one who became the parent of three Great Hearts graduates along the way,” shared Washburn in a message to Scottsdale Prep families last year. “Over all my years of working with and for Great Hearts, I have never really lost that sense of self. My heart as a mother has simply expanded to include children and families from across the network.”

She began her career with Great Hearts as an educator in the classroom, teaching Humane Letters and U.S. History for multiple years. She was then asked to be the founding headmaster of Archway Trivium East (now Archway Trivium). After providing the new school with an excellent foundation, she transferred to lead as headmaster at Veritas Prep. Washburn describes serving in that role for seven years as a gift.

For the last four years, she has shared her talents with Great Hearts as the Vice President of Achievement and Accessibility, where she led teachers, academy leadership, and regional school leaders across the entire national network in developing academic programs that ensure all students have the opportunity to access classical education. “In this work, I have helped equip our academies to provide every student with the intellectually and morally excellent education they deserve,” she explained. But her love for the work of headmaster has called her back.

As she returns to academy leadership, Washburn says she comes with a profound respect for the school community. “The reputation [Scottsdale Prep] has built in the Valley is one I intend to advance through an academic program that is as rigorous as it is humane, an athletic program that is as competitive as it is virtuous, and an arts program that is as refined as it is ennobling, all guided by our shared pursuit of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.”

“I commit to you to work daily to set the conditions for your child to grow intellectually and morally, ensuring that teachers and students engage in a shared experience that leads to the cultivation of their minds and hearts,” she shared as she looks forward to the work ahead and to the partnerships she will build with the families and faculty in service of the students at Scottsdale Prep.

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