Head of School Welcome

I’m delighted to introduce you to Fay School.

Fay’s broad and balanced program for students in Kindergarten through grade nine–which includes academics, athletics, and the arts–is designed to provide the foundation for a meaningful life. 

Founded in 1866 with seven students, Fay was the first junior boarding school in the United States. Since then, we have grown into a vibrant, authentically multicultural community with day students from more than 50 Massachusetts towns and boarding students in grades 7-9 from more than 25 countries.

But numbers don’t convey what it’s like to be a Fay student. When you visit campus, you can feel it: that Fay is a vibrant and engaging place to grow and learn. It’s cool to be curious here, and Fay students embrace opportunities to challenge themselves daily, whether they’re in a classroom, on the sports field, or in our Arts Center.

We frequently hear from secondary schools that Fay graduates arrive on their campuses well-prepared, enthusiastic about learning, actively engaged in campus activities, and ready to take on leadership roles in the community. That’s because our students have had the opportunity to grow and develop within a connected web of teachers, advisors, and coaches who get to know each student well and who work together to support each student’s success.

Our students thrive as they participate in Fay’s distinctive programs. Our Creativity and Design curriculum is integrated throughout the K-9 program and fosters project-based learning through creative-problem solving challenges in our state-of-the-art Center for Creativity & Design. Our Vox Inventum program fosters public speaking and presentation skills, develops self-advocacy and organizational skills, and emphasizes effort, civility, and kindness.

Fay is also unique in the way that our program embraces its traditions–such as family-style dining in our dining room and our Color Competition–while also incorporating best practices in education to ensure meaningful learning experiences for every student.

If you are considering Fay for your child, I encourage you to visit us so you can experience for yourself the lively atmosphere across our campus. Whether they’re walking arm-in-arm across the quad to lunch, cheering in support of their color team on Spirit Day, or designing and building a new project in the Center for Creativity & Design, Fay students bring energy, commitment and joy to their school days.

I look forward to welcoming you on campus!

Susanna Waters

Head of School

Susanna Whitaker Waters began her tenure as Fay’s ninth head of school on July 1, 2024, following an extensive nationwide search. Prior to joining Fay, Susanna served as Associate Head of School for Academic Affairs at Brooks School in North Andover. She joined Brooks in 2009, and over her 15 years there, she served as a teacher, coach, advisor, residential life faculty member, history department chair, and Dean of Academic Affairs prior to her appointment as Associate Head of School in 2021. Susanna won an award for outstanding contributions to the school early on in her time at Brooks, and she later received an endowed faculty chair for excellence in teaching and leadership that was voted on by her colleagues. In addition, she served as a member of Brooks’ Diversity Leadership Council and a Davis Scholars Cohort & Fellowship Leader. Prior to joining Brooks, she was a teacher and coach at Holderness School, and she began her career teaching seventh and eighth grade.

Susanna holds a master’s degree in education and a bachelor of arts degree from St. Lawrence University, in addition to a master’s degree in education in Private School Leadership from the Klingenstein Center, Teachers College, Columbia University. 

Susanna graduated from The Park School (a K-8 school) and Concord Academy.  She serves on the Board of Trustees at Park and was a trustee at The Village School, a private preschool in Boxford, MA. As a consultant for Phillips Academy Andover, she consulted on department and division learning competencies.

Susanna lives on campus with her spouse Willie Waters and their three children.