With her seventh year at Germantown Academy coming to a close, Ms. Kara McPhillips, an Upper School English teacher, will be finishing her tenure at GA. From being a cornerstone of the English faculty, to serving as a 9th grade advisor and helping run the school’s literary magazine, Academy Monthly, it goes without a doubt that her absence will be felt.
“My first year at Germantown Academy was COVID… and, in Spring, [we] shut down. I think it says a lot about the wonderfulness of this place [because] if that was my introduction, and I came back, it must be a place worth coming back to,” Ms. McPhillips said.
Since her first year at GA in 2019, Ms. McPhillips has taught multiple seminars, including her popular course titled Face the Music: a class inspired by her experience as a songwriter and musician.
The seminar focuses on books such as “Nocturnes,” a short story collection about music by Japanese author Kazuo Ishiguro and “A Visit From the Goon Squad” by Jennifer Egan.
She has also taught a seminar called Happiness in Literature, a course focused on books about the importance of optimism, like “The Midnight Library” by Matt Haig.
“You know, as a songwriter, I strongly believe that you have to write a lot of bad songs to write a good song,” Ms. McPhillips said. “So, the way I sort of translate that to writing instruction…I want students to feel free to get some things on the page. Let it all out, and not be too in love with your own writing. To cut, put away, and mold the Play-Doh.”
Before Ms. McPhillips began her teaching career, she started in journalism, writing previews and arts reviews for a paper in Washington state. Nowadays, alongside songwriting, she continues to write articles about teaching and her approach to the classroom.
“As a journalist, I was paid to write,” Ms. McPhillips said. “It framed my perception of writing as practical and professional…I’m teaching you to write, because you’re all going to go off into professional settings where you need to be clear, crisp, capable communicators.”
Colleagues are also reflecting on the impact Ms. McPhillips has had on the English Department and broader GA community.
“One of the most exciting things I think Ms. McPhillips has brought to the English Department is she has a lot of really fun and engaging ways to mix up discussion,” Upper School English teacher Ms. Burnett said.
Ms. Burnett also admired Ms. McPhillips’s ability to contribute thoughtful insight during meetings.
“One thing I admire about Ms. McPhillips is that she has this remarkable ability to say the thing in the meeting, in an extraordinarily succinct way, that needs to be said. She’s really good at, like, ‘I’m just going to ask this question,’” Burnett said. “Or, she’ll have, like, ‘I just want to say one thing,’ and it’s just a sound bite, but it’s extraordinarily astute. So I very much admire that about her.”
As well as being a teacher and Academy Monthly advisor, Ms. McPhillips served as a proud member of Alcott Day House as a freshman advisor.
“Ms. McPhillips is a very good advisor, and I’m hopeful that whoever steps into that role in Alcott Day House will be able to carry those big shoes to fill,” Ms. Burnett said. “I think she’s also just a thoughtful voice in English department meetings, so we’ll miss her voice at the table when we have those conversations.”
For the new 2026-2027 leaders of Academy Monthly, McPhillips’ departure means something else.
“It’s bittersweet. I’m happy for her, but also I’m sad to see her go. I’ve learned so many skills during my time as her English student that I hope to build on in future years. She was also the person who encouraged me to start submitting my poems to Academy Monthly, and now I’m a leader,” Paige Park ‘29, new Academy Monthly leader, said.
As the school year comes to an end, members of the GA community are reflecting on the influence she has had over the past seven years. Her absence marks the end of an important chapter for the Upper School English Department and for the many students who she taught along the way.
While GA will certainly feel different without her, Ms. McPhillips’s impact will continue to live on through the students she encouraged to become bold writers, skilled critical thinkers and clear communicators.