Whether student or faculty, plenty of people at Woodward can admit that they’re excited for this school year. New memories, games and friendships lie ahead these next nine months. Even those who have been at Woodward for 32 years, such as Dr. Chris Freer, have the opportunity to create new experiences.
This year is Dr. Freer’s first year as Woodward’s president, replacing Dr. Stuart Gulley following his retirement this summer. So, what has Dr. Freer been up to this summer?
“I did spend a lot of time this summer thinking about the culture of the school and things that we are very good at, and the things that we can improve,” Dr. Freer said. “I’ve spent a lot of time working with the governing board on our next strategic plan, and so that was kind of the summer. It was [spent] thinking strategically about what Woodward has been in the past, what we are now, and where we want to be in the future.”
Additionally, Dr. Freer and his team spent time listening to feedback from both the student body and their families.
“I don’t know if you remember, but last March, you guys took a survey about the school,” Dr. Freer said. “There were over 2,500 people that took that survey. I spent time listening to about 125 different interviews with people, which were anywhere from an hour to 90 minutes. We also did interviews with families that were moving from one level to the other at Woodward. And so we really wanted to get feedback from especially students, teachers, staff members, parents, alumni, board members, to find out, again, what is it we do?”
Dr. Freer’s openness to this feedback might be a surprise to some–who knows WA better than someone who has been an employee since he was 22 years old, serving as a coach for numerous sports, a Dean of Student Life and mostly recently as a Vice President? However, Woodward has admittedly changed over the years. Old policies and statements have to be looked at and revised by Dr. Freer.
“We have a great mission statement, a great vision, a great motto as a school, but there’s always a time where you look at it and say, ‘Is it appropriate?’” Dr. Freer said. “Does it still fit what the needs are of the students today?”
For example, AI is undeniably a controversial talking point in schools. People have different opinions on the topic, yet AI is something most will have to adapt to getting used to on both sides of the debate.
“Five years ago, AI wasn’t what it is today,” Dr. Freer said. “It’s changing almost daily. And so we’ve got to look closely at the way we teach, the way students learn, to make sure that we’re relevant and that we’re preparing you [students] in the right way.”
While there are no huge, dramatic changes in store so far, Dr. Freer is seemingly working behind the scenes to improve academics.
“This fall, we will be doing task forces to kind of dive into things,” Dr. Freer said. “I don’t know what those are going to be, but I suspect one will be about academics. You know, from teaching and learning, to things like AI and the use of technology. And then there’ll be something about character development that’s obviously an important part of our ethos here at Woodward.”
There is, of course, Dr. Freer’s eventual plans to remodel the outdated cafeteria for something bigger and better. However, some of us will be off to college before the cafeteria is redone.
While Dr. Freer is off to start his first days as Woodward President, students have some excitement of their own about this school year, and have opportunities they are looking forward to.
Semani Poonolly ‘27: “I think my extracurriculars [Model UN and Mock Trial].”
Rania Noorani ‘26: “I think I’m looking forward to our last day of classes and last blast, because the last day of classes everyone gets to show off their skirts and people you haven’t talked to since ninth grade, you get to know where they’re gonna go to college. So that’s pretty cool. And you get to see how artistic someone is when they’re hiding it for so long, and it’s fun to shoot your friends with water guns. I think it’s just like … bittersweet.”
Navya Thotakura ‘29: “I’m looking forward to the freedom, because I love the lunch period and how we can go after eating and just do whatever we want and finish homework early.”
Nethra Thotakura ‘29: “I’m looking forward to meeting upperclassmen in all my classes, because I can get to know them.”
While there are many goals that Dr. Freer hopes to accomplish this year, he has one overall hope.
“It’s to create a culture where people are proud of Woodward Academy,” Dr. Freer said. “They’re proud to be here as students. They’re proud to be here as teachers. Families understand the return on their investment. Your parents spend a lot of money, probably a lot of time, driving to and from Woodward…And so creating that culture of school spirit and community is a really big part of Woodward.”
