Photo courtesy of choate.edu
By Eliana Li ’26, Copy Editor
On October 1, the Choate community warmly welcomed the Head of School, Dr. Alex Curtis, back to campus during School Meeting, marking the end of his medical leave. During his absence, Head of Student and Academic Life Ms. Jenny Elliott stepped in as Acting Head of School to ensure smooth operations and a seamless return from summer break. Following a successful surgery and steady recovery, Dr. Curtis has resumed his role as Choate’s Head of School.
Dr. Curtis’s medical leave followed an emergency during a family vacation over the summer, which required him to be hospitalized for three days and undergo surgery. In a reassuring message to the Choate community, Dr. Curtis expressed confidence in his recovery: “I have been assured by a wonderful team of doctors that my condition is treatable and that my prognosis is excellent.” Still, his six-week recovery period kept him from school at the start of the academic year, leading to the temporary shift in leadership.
Selecting Ms. Elliott as the Acting Head of School was an easy choice for Dr. Curtis. “I knew that she would be able to handle that, as she always does, and keep everything going forward,” he said. The transition was smooth, thanks to the pre-existing relationship between Dr. Curtis and Ms. Elliott. “We have a strong working connection and relationship, so it was actually quite seamless in a lot of ways,” Ms. Elliott said. “The [rest of the Administration also] stepped up and absolutely pitched in like a team to figure out how to do all the things we needed to be doing.”
For Ms. Elliott, however, juggling being a U.S. History teacher, the Head of Student and Academic Life, and Acting Head of School was no easy feat. “Some days I feel better at managing it than others,” she admitted. “But my husband is my partner and best friend, and he picks up the pieces.” Dr. Curtis commended her leadership: “She carried it off brilliantly. I just think she did a magnificent job,” he said.
Despite being away, Dr. Curtis felt the community’s overwhelming support through well-wishes, emails, and flowers. “It raises your spirits when you’re sitting in a hospital bed, knowing people are thinking of you,” he said. “It’s those little things that make a big, big difference.”
As Dr. Curtis slowly rejoined campus life, he recalled feeling warmth and energy from the community. “I do think part of recovery is getting positive encouragement and good energy from everybody else. So, I have to say, I feel a lot better coming back on campus,” Dr. Curtis said. His recovery process also reminded him of the importance of savoring the present and taking life one day at a time. “We take these [moments] for granted, and when you get a moment to reflect, you realize you need to enjoy the small moments for yourself. It’s the dining hall, it’s the conversation walking up to School Meeting, it’s the conversations that really matter,” he said. “So, I’m looking forward to being able to have those again after missing out on them for what seems like a long time.”
Dr. Curtis is grateful to be back in a place that truly feels like home. “It’s made me realize that this is the place that I love, this is the community that’s just incredible,” he said. “This is the community that is home.”
