Moorestown Friends Names New Head Of School

MOORESTOWN, NJ — Julia de la Torre has been named the new Head of School at Moorestown Friends School, the school announced on Friday. She is the current Head of Upper School at Greenhills School in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and previously served as the Executive Director of Primary Source, a non-profit focused on global education and citizenship.

“Julia’s energy, warmth and ability to relate genuinely with each person she met impressed everyone during her visit,” School Committee Clerk (Board of Trustees Chair) Barbara Rose Caldwell said. “She brings both a deep commitment to the values and program of Moorestown Friends School, along with a unique perspective and vision for our future.”

Caldwell co-chaired the committee that conducted a comprehensive national search for a successor to Laurence Van Meter, who announced he would retire at the conclusion of the 2017-18 school year — his 18th year — back in November. Moorestown Friends Board of Trustee Member Nick Smith was the other co-chair.

The committee also consisted of Former Trustee Toni Proffitt Brown, Trustee and Assistant School Committee Clerk Phil Lippincott, Former Board Chair Naoji Moriuchi, Trustee Whitty Ransome, Fourth Grade Teacher Emily Gojman, History Teacher Jacob Stein Greenberg, and Math Teacher Dorothy López.

After graduating from Haverford College, de la Torre taught French and chaired the Foreign Language Department at Kent Denver School in Englewood, Colorado, before serving in the Peace Corps in Moldova.

She then returned to school and earned her master’s degree in International Educational Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She also earned a certificate in Non-Profit Management and Leadership at the Boston University Questrom School of Business.

“I credit my time at Haverford College as some of the most foundational years of my life,” de la Torre said. “It was there that I discovered teaching as my life’s work and it was there that I learned that honesty, collaboration, respect, and empathy were the key ingredients to supporting students in the classroom and beyond. Haverford was also my first introduction to Quakerism and to the kind of inclusive community that I want to always create in schools. In today’s complex world, the focus on academic excellence and ethical and spiritual growth at MFS is exactly the combination students need to thrive and contribute on a global scale.”

She is also committed to independent schools.

“I grew up in a small independent school community and have dedicated my teaching career to independent schools,” de la Torre said. “At the core of every independent school is the belief that relationships are what allow children to thrive, and it is that commitment to developing meaningful relationships with teachers, students, and families that keeps me coming back for more.”

de la Torre is a first generation American born to a German mother and an Argentine father. She is fluent in French and Romanian, and proficient in Spanish. She was raised in a family that in her words “valued cultural understanding, empathy, and human connection through commonality and difference.”

“I have had the incredible privilege of traveling all over the world,” de la Torre said. “Each time I encounter a new culture, I am humbled by how much I don’t know and inspired by the new way in which I see my own world. I am reminded that we, as people, can connect on some level with just about anyone. Whether or not we share a common language, culture, or custom, there is always something that brings us together as human beings.”

In her free time, de la Torre enjoys spending time with her family, which includes her husband Patrick and son Evan. Evan will enter the Beginnings at MFS Early Childhood Program in 2018. de la Torre and her family enjoy travel, cooking, and anything outdoors, including hiking, cycling, and running to name a few activities.

• Elmer Barrett, 1920-1925
• Chester Reagan, 1925-1955
• Merrill Hiatt, 1955-1969
• Alexander MacColl, 1969-1986
• Gardiner Bridge, 1986-1987 (interim)
• Clint Wilkins, 1987-1990
• Alan Craig, 1990-2001
• Laurence Van Meter, 2001-2018
• Julia de la Torre, 2018-

The attached images of Julia de la Torre were provided by Moorestown Friends School.