The Cambridge School of Weston Names Next Head of School
The board of trustees has announced that Lise Charlier will become The Cambridge School of Weston’s next head of school, effective July 1, 2019.
The board of trustees has announced that Lise Charlier will become The Cambridge School of Weston’s next head of school, effective July 1, 2019. Charlier will succeed Jane Moulding, who will have led CSW for 17 years when she retires from the school in June.
This appointment is the result of a thoughtful and inclusive search process, led by a dedicated committee with guidance from consultants School Strategies & Solutions. This nationwide search attracted a large number of impressive and highly qualified candidates with diverse backgrounds and experiences. The search committee was especially mindful of the many qualities that the CSW community indicated were essential for an effective head of school, and is grateful for the heartfelt participation and deep engagement of a broad range of constituents, including administrators, faculty, staff, students, current families, alumni/ae, past families, friends, and trustees.
Sarita Gandhi Shah ‘86, chair of the board and co-chair of the search committee, stated that, “We are pleased to have an educator with Charlier’s talent, integrity, leadership, and commitment to progressive education join our community. She has a clear passion for learning and a lifelong dedication to young people. She will bring a wide range of qualities and credentials to the role of head, including an ability to translate vision to reality using a relationship-driven leadership style; extensive experience in daily school operations and strategic administrative function; and a strong ethos in progressive education and academic and student life programming.”
In her letter to the school community, Charlier expressed her excitement for the school and her passion for the work ahead: “When I visited CSW in September, I was blown away by the palpable love of school emanating from everyone in the community — students, faculty, trustees, parents, and alumni/ae — and the commitment to progressive education and social justice evident in every conversation. I look forward to working with all of you to build on CSW’s strong and beautiful foundation. Together we will guarantee that CSW remains an extraordinary school — a place where young people have the time and space to grow into the people that they want to be, in an environment that allows them to know and appreciate themselves and others, where they can ask questions freely and fully, engage in intellectual pursuit, and be kind and contributing members of society who seek social justice locally and globally.”
Charlier comes to CSW with over 25 years of administrative and teaching experience in the US and abroad. She currently serves as director of studies and strategic initiatives at Severn School in Severna Park, Maryland. Prior to her role at Severn, Charlier was upper school assistant principal at Friends School of Baltimore in Baltimore, Maryland. She has served on the board of trustees for Green Street Academy, the Association of Independent Maryland and DC Schools (AIMS), the Cowles Charitable Trust, and most recently the Center for Spiritual and Ethical Education (CSEE). She holds an MS in education from Johns Hopkins University and a BS from Georgetown University. Born and raised in Haiti, Charlier was educated in the Haitian, French, and American educational systems. She currently lives with her husband in Baltimore, where they raised their two children.
Three students — Reese Lonetto ’27, Winter Lynn ’25, and Ella Sharma ’26 — have been selected to present their original fashion designs at the Junk Kouture regional finals in New York City on Monday, May 12. Ten finalists from the event will be selected to go on to compete at the world finals in Dublin, Ireland.
CSW marked Earth Day 2025 with a full-campus celebration led by the students and faculty of Sustainability Committee. The student-organized day featured a keynote assembly with acclaimed activist and urban farming pioneer Karen Washington, along with a diverse slate of hands-on workshops and activities designed to promote environmental awareness and sustainable living.
CSW recognized the 50th Anniversary of Michael Feldman ’67 Social Justice Day on campus this week with a special assembly and programming dedicated to the student-selected topic: The School to Prison Pipeline. The day included a keynote address from Marvin Pierre, the founder of the nonprofit 8 Million Stories, and a series of workshops hosted by faculty, students, and experts in the fields of criminal justice, education, social services, community advocacy, and more.
CSW was honored to serve as the lead school for the 2025 AISNE High School Students of Color Conference held at Regis College on Saturday, April 5. Organized in collaboration with the Association of Independent Schools in New England (AISNE), the event brought together students from across the region under the student-selected theme, “Adventures in Authenticity."
CSW’s Robotics Team had a historic season this year. At its first competition in Revere, MA, the team finished qualification matches in 10th place out of 38 teams, earning them the privilege of being an alliance captain for the first time ever. They would go on to place 4th overall, solidifying a spot in the next round of competition in New Hampshire. Here, the team finished 27th out of 40 teams. These results are the best the team has seen in the history of the program.
CSW—a gender-inclusive day and boarding school for grades 9-12—is a national leader in progressive education. We live out our values of inquiry-based learning, student agency, and embracing diverse perspectives in every aspect of our student experience. Young people come to CSW to learn how to learn and then put what they learn into action—essential skills they carry into their futures as doers, makers, innovators, leaders, and exceptional humans who do meaningful work in the world.