Updates for Mayfield’s Head of School Transition

Dear Mayfield Senior School Community,

We are writing to provide an update from Mayfield’s Head of School Transition Committee and share an overview of some of the plans being made regarding Kate Morin’s retirement in June 2023 and the arrival of Laura Farrell as our new Head of School in July 2023.

Mayfield’s transition work began in earnest in January, launching the small Transition Committee and forming two robust subcommittees, one focused on Kate Morin's retirement, and the other on Laura Farrell's welcome. As the Chair of the Transition Committee, Jane Hawley '86 has been in regular conversations with Laura Farrell, assisting with Laura’s move to Southern California and helping orient her to the Mayfield community. Once Laura was selected as the incoming Head of School, Kate Morin also reached out to offer support to Laura at any point in the transition. Since then, Kate and Laura have established an easy and informal exchange in which they ask questions, share information and co-create a seamless transition to this important role.

Still based outside of Philadelphia, PA, Laura Farrell will be in the Pasadena area March 3-19. In addition to house-hunting with her husband Tony, Laura looks forward to spending quality time on campus, meeting with members of the faculty and staff, students, alums, Trustees and parents. Laura’s March trip was planned to allow her attendance at the New Cub event (welcoming admitted members of Mayfield’s Class of 2027), the spring musical, and the annual benefit “Mayfield in the Movies.” The benefit on March 4 will be celebrating and honoring one of our school’s brightest stars, Kate Morin, and Laura is excited to attend this glittering gala too. We hope to see you there! 

On May 7, we will host a Mother Daughter Mass & Brunch, honoring Kate Morin. It promises to be a special celebration on campus with our students, parents, alums, faculty and staff, Board of Trustees members and others inside our Mayfield community. We hope you can join us. Kate has been a truly inspiring Head of School, providing a consistently loving presence for our community, leading with an unwavering commitment to Mayfield’s excellence across curricular and extracurricular offerings, and providing exemplary stewardship of our Holy Child mission. We know there are so many people who want to celebrate Kate from near and far, so we are planning to livestream this Mass, and we will share the details later. And you can also make a donation to the Mayfield Financial Assistance Fund in Kate’s honor.

This June, Kate Morin will be presiding over her eighth and final Mayfield graduation, participating in the Baccalaureate Mass and Commencement Exercises for the cherished Class of 2023. We are delighted that Laura Farrell will be in attendance as well, to experience some of Mayfield’s most time-honored traditions. 

Every Head of School transition is unique to the school and to the people involved. The members of Mayfield’s Transition Committee have been so impressed by the generosity and collegiality being shared between Kate Morin and Laura Farrell during this distinctive stretch of time. Their shared collaborative spirit is a perfect example of the strength of our beloved community and, when it comes to Mayfield Senior School, the dedication of our leaders is without parallel!

Finally, we thank you again for being part of the Head of School selection and transition process. In this season of change, if you have any questions or comments about the transition, we remind you that you can always access the members of the Transition Team at MSSHOStransition@mayfieldsenior.org. As always, we welcome your feedback and we look forward to seeing you at any one of our upcoming celebrations.  

Most sincerely,

Jane Collins Hawley ‘86

Chair, Head of School Transition Committee

Vice Chair, Board of Trustees

Erika Randall 

Chair, Board of Trustees

Member, Head of School Transition Committee

Past Parent '22