Q&A With Amy Roberts, St. Margaret’s Upper School Principal

St. Margaret’s Upper School Principal Amy Roberts.

By Marites Olano

Amy Roberts joined St. Margaret’s as Upper School Principal last summer. She brought a diverse and extensive background in educational leadership to her new role. Prior to joining St. Margaret’s she served as Interim Head of School at the High Mountain Institute in Leadville, Colo., having previously served the school as associate head of school and director of the semester program. She has also taught at the Packer Collegiate Institute in New York City and at Mercy High School in Middletown, Ct.

During her career in education, Mrs. Roberts has been involved in many aspects of Upper School student life, including implementing diversity, equity and inclusion programs, planning major school events, advising student-run publications, and serving as an assistant cross country and track coach.

Mrs. Roberts took some time recently to reflect on her first semester at St. Margaret’s, her vision for the Upper School and her love of experiential education:

What brought you to St. Margaret’s and why did the Upper School Principal job interest you?

I love the St. Margaret’s mission statement. It is real. I see it in action here every day, and it is the number one reason I applied for the Upper School Principal position. I knew that I wanted to be at a school that embraced students as whole people, and valued resilience, courage, and leadership. Our mission and values align with my educational philosophy as well as my professional and personal core beliefs. 

As you are now in your first year as Upper School Principal, what has impressed you about St. Margaret’s academic program and the students? 

Our academic program offers students tremendous depth and breadth and, as we grow our experiential education offerings, this will only increase. I want St. Margaret’s students to become curious and engaged learners who graduate with the skills, knowledge and drive they need to thrive at college and beyond. 

Our students are kind, creative, and hard-working. Tartans put 110 percent into everything they do, and it shows. I keep telling our students that another day at St. Margaret’s is another day when I’m consistently blown away by how talented our students are – in the classroom, on the athletic fields, on stage – you name it.  

What was your first order of business as Upper School Principal?

My first order of business as Upper School Principal has been getting to know our professional community and our students. Relationship-building is very important to me as a school leader – it is the foundation of a truly inclusive and caring community. Over the summer, I asked members of the Upper School administration to take me to their favorite place on campus, so I could get to know them, hear their St. Margaret’s story, and see more of our beautiful campus. This year I’m having lunch with every academic department and hosting milk and cookies with Upper School students. I like bonding over food and these moments have been a fun and relaxing way to get to know everyone and share parts of my identity and personality with everyone at St. Margaret’s. 

What is your background in experiential education and in what ways will St. Margaret’s benefit from your philosophy and experience? 

I’ve been an experiential educator for over 20 years. I first became interested in this mode of teaching and learning when I was teaching print and video journalism courses at a school in New York City. Our classroom space wasn’t an ordinary classroom – it was a newspaper office. Instead of only reading journalism textbooks or listening to me lecture, my students broke news stories and did real journalism. Since that journalism class, my interest and experience in this field grew. I’ve snowshoed with students in the Adirondack State Park preserve while teaching them about the history and creation of the park. I’ve designed and run professional development opportunities for teachers, and before coming to St. Margaret’s I was the interim head of school at an experiential education semester school in Colorado. This work grounds me as an educator and as a school leader. I believe in it because it is powerful academic learning. It transforms classrooms, strengthens student-teacher relationships, and instills within students a passion and drive to become lifelong learners and engaged citizens of the world. I want that for all of our students. 

What are the cornerstones of experiential education and why is it such a good learning tool? 

Experiential learning theory is not a new, flashy educational philosophy. Its roots are embedded in the works of ancient Greek and Chinese philosophers who argued that the acquisition of knowledge through experience ultimately leads to greater comprehension. Students learn best when they are actively engaged in material, not passively listening to a lecture or memorizing facts and dates for a test. Experiential classrooms are vibrant, creative spaces with high levels of student engagement. They are academically vigorous spaces where students embrace challenges and are pushed to take intellectual risks because they are central to developing understanding. These experiential classrooms are spaces where teachers guide students through a cycle of experience, reflection, processing, and understanding and applying. They are spaces in which students and teachers develop strong and lasting relationships and make memories.

What does your typical day look like at St. Margaret’s?

I am an early riser and I try to get a run in the mornings before I get to school. It’s a great energy boost as most of my days at St. Margaret’s are very fast-paced – sometimes I will look at the clock and cannot believe how quickly the day has flown by! Most days involve a lot of meetings with members of the Upper School professional community, parents, and students about various aspects of the Upper School – the student experience, our academic program, athletics, DEI work, upcoming events – you name it. I thrive on the energy generated by the busy nature of the school day and I love that my job really boils down to supporting teachers and students and striving to make the St. Margaret’s Upper School experience the best it can possibly be for all of our Tartans. 

Mrs. Roberts welcoming Upper School students into Chapel.