HAMILTON, Bermuda, CMC – The Bermuda High School for Girls (BHS) has the first woman of colour to be appointed head of the 128-year-old institution.

Carol Swainson will be tasked with leading the private school through its new strategic plan while “continuing to embed innovation and design into the curriculum and supporting all students at BHS”.

Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees, Cece Powell, said “this announcement marks a pivotal moment for the future of BHS. We are excited and energised that Ms Swainson will continue to build upon BHS’s strong and lasting legacy of academic excellence.”

“We know she is well equipped to lead BHS and, together with our outstanding senior leadership team, will enable the school’s fulfilment of its vision to be an international leader in developing girls and young women to stand out with confidence and purpose as they shape a changing world,” Powell continued.

Powell said Swainson, who has more than 20 years of experience as an administrator in private schools in the United States, will take up her new post next July. Linda Parker, BHS’s current head of school, and the trustees will work with the senior leadership team to ensure a smooth transition.

Swainson is currently the head of school at the San Francisco Schoolhouse, where she has doubled enrolment numbers and increased student retention and is regarded as a leading administrator and educator, championing educational excellence, innovation and sustainability.

“I am pleased to serve as BHS’s 16th head of school and I look forward to getting to know the BHS family and greater community even better. The opportunity to positively impact and empower young people through the full arc of their primary and secondary education makes possible magnificent results. BHS’s alumni are evidence of its success. I look forward to taking my oboe and sitting in on a music ensemble to experience BHS from the student perspective,” Swainson said.