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About

Head of School

Ann V. Klotz, Head of School

When I first crossed the threshold of Laurel School’s Lyman Campus, I knew I wanted to lead this school. Girls of all ages greeted me—friendly, authentic, confident. Sunlight streamed through the stained-glass window at the top of the stairs; "This school knows who it is,” I remember thinking. Innovative but elegant, steeped in tradition, but progressive, Laurel sets the standard for excellence in girls’ schools nation-wide.

Our two daughters are Laurel alumnae and our son began his education in Laurel’s Early Childhood School. Each day, I feel inspired and privileged to lead Laurel, to know our girls, to work among brilliant colleagues, to teach, to learn. I have spent most of my life in girls’ schools—13 years as a student, 20 years as a young teacher and administrator and almost two decades at Laurel. While superb outcomes are key, Laurel is committed to the success of every single child. Our girls cultivate courage, creativity and curiosity within and beyond the classrooms. They develop empathy for those like and unlike themselves and consider important ethical questions as they grow up with teachers who urge them to claim their voices, speak their minds, and use their talents for greater good.I am proud to lead a school committed to becoming an anti-racist institution and focused on building a strong community, expansive enough to hold many faiths, cultures, beliefs united by our mission and values.

Since 1896, we have offered selective admission to girls who seek challenges. Laurel girls are ambitious. They take ownership of their learning and reach high to attain their goals. Our exceptional faculty and college-preparatory program promote critical thinking, intellectual risk-taking, problem solving and creativity. Our school culture prizes excellence, respect and kindness. Our graduates are leaders in their fields. At Laurel they learn to discern what is essential from what isn’t. They learn, too, to walk with grace and purpose through their lives.

Laurel’s Center for Research on Girls (LCRG) substantiates our claim that we know girls—how they learn, think and feel—better than any other school. LCRG’s original research, professional development for faculty—our own as well as at schools around the corner and across the country—and parent education ensure that we put the world’s best research to work for girls. We teach girls to be resilient. Learning at Laurel is active, interdisciplinary, noisy and joyful. In the classroom, on the athletic fields, in a stream at the Butler Campus, in the Collaboratory—girls learn by doing. The Butler Campus,150 acres of spectacular land, offers the finest playing fields in Ohio with a place-based curriculum without parallel locally.

Laurel girls dive in, stand up, explore, immerse themselves in learning. We invite you to do the same. Girls matter at Laurel. Every girl, every day. In the context of the swiftly changing educational landscape, we produce graduates who are confident and capable, leaders and learners, dreamers and doers.

Come learn more about Laurel.
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  • Ann V. Klotz

    Ms. Klotz began her tenure as Laurel’s tenth Head of School in 2004. A graduate of the Agnes Irwin School in Rosemont, PA, she was graduated from Yale College, where she earned her B.A. in English. Her M.A. is in the individual study of drama from the Gallatin Division of New York University. She is currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Non-fiction. She has worked in girls’ schools as a teacher and administrator for more than thirty-five years and is devoted to the academic, social and emotional development of girls.
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Ann in Print

Remembering the Beginnings - Mothers Always Write - 02/14/2020
Memento Mori: Mother Memory
- A Mother Knows (via Hyland's) - 05/07/2019
Teaching Our Students Resilience: How Schools Can Help
- NAIS Independent Ideas - 12/17/2018
White Knuckles - Mothers Always Write - 12/17/2018
Growing Paperwhites at Christmas Reminds Me...
- Grown & Flown - 11/27/2018
After Page One - Literary Mama - 08/20/2018
Birds of a Feather: For My Headmistress Flock - Ann V. Klotz's personal blog - 03/05/2018
Fighting the Gray - Ann V. Klotz's personal blog - 02/25/2018
A Head of school's 14 Tips on Interview Etiquette - NAIS Independent Ideas - 01/22/2018
Rules of Thumb for School Leaders - The Heads Network - 09/11/2017
Summer's Lease - Topology Magazine - 08/21/2017
Because it is My Name - Ann's Blog - 07/28/2017
Not Pompeii - Feminine Collective - 05/22/2017
My Maths Anxiety - Independent Schools Victoria (Australia) - 02/17/2017
Cured - Coffee & Crumbs - 01/13/2017
Wondrous - Mothers Always Write - 12/19/2016
Celebrating My Inner Sloth - Huffington Post - 12/17/2016
Nonfiction by Ann Klotz - The Grief Diaries - 12/12/2016
Pioneer Daze - Mothers Always Write - 10/17/2016
Luckier Than I Deserve - The Manifest-Station - 07/28/2016
After Page One: Why I Write - Literary Mama - 07/01/2016
W-A-T-E-R: Annie and Helen in the Theatre - Huffington Post - 06/30/2016
A Working Mother's Take on 'Hamilton' - Huffington Post Parents - 05/13/2016
Work-Life Balance, Ha! - Mothers Always Write - 04/18/2016
Love the Words - NAIS Independent School Magazine - 03/2016
Ailments - The Good Mother project - 03/20/2016
Soapsuds - Mamalode - 03/06/2016
Gloria, Arianna, Kakenya and Me - Huffington Post Education - 02/17/2016
Senior Night - Huffington Post Education - 02/05/2016
Mom's Math Anxiety - NAIS Independent School Magazine - 01/26/2016
Before Great Pain, a Formal Feeling Comes - Mothers Always Write - 01/18/2016
For the New Year, Nine Mantras and Mottoes - NAIS Independent Ideas - 01/04/2016
Dog Whisperer - Huffington Post Parents - 12/22/2015
Lighting the Darkness - Cleveland Jewish News - 12/03/2015
The Baby We Didn't Adopt - Mothers Always Write - 11/16/2015
Voice and Vision: How Girls Learn to Lead and Resist Leading - NCGS Raising Girls' Voices - 10/01/2015
Violins of Hope - Huffington Post Arts and Culture - 10/01/2015
Goat's Adventures Abroad - Mothers Always Write - 09/21/2015
A Booster Shot on Parents' Night - NAIS Independent Ideas - 09/08/2015
On the Mend: Grappling With Resilience - Huffington Post Education - 07/30/2015
Collateral Sorrow - Huffington Post Impact - 05/20/2015
April Cruelty - Huffington Post Women - 04/13/2015
Nurturing Resilience: Reminding Ourselves What Kids Need - NAIS Independent Ideas - 03/17/2015
Morning Meditation - Huffington Post Healthy Living - 03/04/2015
Better Together: Parenting a Child in an Independent School - Huffington Post Education - 12/11/2014
Keep On Chewing - Huffington Post Women - 11/25/2014
Taking Comfort - Huffington Post Parents - 09/02/2014
Stand on the Table! - Huffington Post Education - 08/20/2014
In the Time That a Blueberry Ripens - Huffington Post Parents - 08/01/2014
Girl Power! - Huffington Post Education - 07/18/2014
This Land Is Our Land - Huffington Post Post 50 - 07/03/2014
28 Things I Want Girls to Know... - Huffington Post Education - 06/07/2014
Post Mother's Day Blues - Huffington Post Parents - 05/13/2014
The Better Late Than Never Seder - Huffington Post Religion - 04/21/2014
Hummingbirds on Holiday - Huffington Post Parents - 04/11/2014
My Daughter, Jo March - Huffington Post Parents - 03/14/2014
Growing Up With Curly Top - Huffington Post Women - 02/18/2014
What's in a Name? - Huffington Post  - 02/04/2014
Strength vs. Stressors: Building Resilience to Help Girls Manage Stress - NAIS Independent School Magazine - Summer 2013
Reunions: Remembrances of Girlhoods Past - NAIS Independent School Magazine - Winter 2013
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