WASC visitors assess campus

By Tanisha Gunby ’21
Visitors were on both campuses from Jan. 29 to 31 to conduct an accreditation review of
the school which is performed every six years. Visitors included teachers and administrators from other schools who are a part of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and California Association of Independent Schools Accreditation Team (CAIS). WASC and CAIS are official academic bodies responsible for the credentials of schools in California.
The school conducted a self-study, which took a year and a half. It was led by Katherine Holmes-Chuba, Upper School History Teacher and Upper School Dean of Faculty and Staff.
“We look at our school from top to bottom. From all the stuff that you are aware of, your day to day life, the educational program, athletics, arts, extracurriculars, student life, the dean system, the administration…and then all the stuff you probably do not see like the financial office, the fundraising side of things, the board of trustees level. It is as global a view of the school as you can imagine…We give CAIS/WASC the self-study,” Head of Middle School Jon Wimbish said.
The team from WASC and CAIS assembled to look into classes, talk to students and faculty, have meetings and discuss what they were seeing to produce a report for the committees at WASC and CAIS. They also made suggestions on how long the accreditation is good for. WASC and CAIS made recommendations on what should be worked on and commendations for things that the school is doing well. The report will come out during the summer, most likely by June.
Wimbish said that their visit was beneficial.
“Having the visitors here is a nice element of it because they are truly outsiders. They are coming in with an objective viewpoint. They’re not so close to it as I am or [President Rick] Commons is or [Head of Upper School Laura] Ross is,” Wimbish said.