Amidst the pandemic and the inevitable alterations it has caused to the lives of the GA community, the administration has continued to implement changes as normal. The New Dean of Students, Ms. Lingten, is focused on enhancing the student experience at GA. This position holds three major roles. The first of these roles is creating and running programs such as assemblies, advisory programs, and working with student leaders. Ms. Lintgen is excited to work with all members of the community as she loves partnering with her colleagues and the GA students. Her second general role as the Dean of Students is to provide support to GA’s Upper School students. Ms. Lintgen will work with the school’s counselors, househeads and advisors to ensure that every student in the upper school is happy and healthy. Ms. Lintgen prioritizes the students and their successes, wanting to make a difference by “helping everyone have the most successful highschool experiences, whether it is socially and/or academically.” Ms. Lintgen’s final role is one that is ever-so daunting: discipline. Ms. Lintgen wants to confirm the fairness and equitability of the school’s discipline policy and improve any faults if needed. She values the honor council and its student-run nature, and is interested in possibly establishing other student-run leadership positions. Ms. Lintgen believes that “peers are powerful” and their impact can be more significant than faculty when it comes to what is valuable.
Despite her new role as the Dean of Students, Ms. Lintgen would never give up teaching. Next year, she is looking forward to teaching two classes: ninth grade English class and a junior/senior honors elective. As a previous househead, Ms. Lintgen is excited to partner with the other houses to help support the great work they do and improve the house system. She also is eager to work with Dr. Mackean and her new ideas in establishing “GA as a 21st-century school.”
It is not just Ms. Lintgen who is excited for her new role — GA’s faculty are also “looking forward to having a leader dedicated to help formalize, grow and improve programming,” in the words of Ms. Fraser. In the past, there has been no specific role to bring the faculty’s ideas to life; without a leader in charge, “it sometimes felt as if wasted energy was thrown out into the air.” Now, however, with a role established for this sole purpose, everyone is looking forward to what is to come.
Transitioning to a new role is no easy task. On top of learning and adapting to the position itself, Ms. Lintgen also has to deal with the difficulties of the pandemic. She explains that “schools are challenging places in normal circumstances, and when you add a layer of having to really be aware of everyone’s health and safety it can feel really daunting.” The ever-changing nature of the pandemic of course makes the job more complicated. Battling a worldwide pandemic and the high stakes that are brought with it, Ms. Lintgen recognizes that the health and wellbeing of the GA community is of the utmost importance.
As Ms. Lintgen begins to take on her new role, she brings many hopes and goals with her. She wishes to establish an open-door policy, where students feel comfortable to come in and hangout, or share ideas they have to better the community. Ms. Lintgen loves working with teenagers and aims to create programs that better enhance their highschool experience. She will provide candy in her office to “lure the students in with food, in hopes that they may stay and share their ideas.”
Ms. Lintgen is eager to take on her new role as the Dean of Students. She cares for all the students at GA and enjoys working with all members of the community. She aspires to not only be a teacher, but to be someone that the community feels comfortable to confide in. Ms. Lintgen believes that there is always room for improvement, and she is excited to now have the power to make it possible.