Colleen Kyle Appointed as New Upper School Head at RPCS

Dear Roland Park Country School Community,

I am thrilled to announce the appointment of Colleen Kyle as the next Upper School Head at Roland Park Country School, effective July 1, 2019. Colleen will join us from Lakeside School in Seattle, Washington, where she has served as an academic leader and teacher for the past 10 years. This decision was informed by many conversations with members of our parent, faculty and student search committees, as well as school administrators. I am confident that Colleen will be an outstanding addition to the Roland Park Country School family and a strong advocate and role model for our Upper School students and faculty.

At Lakeside School, Colleen is the Mentor Program Director for faculty and an award-winning history teacher. She also served as the head of the Upper School history department for four years and was an advisor to various clubs. Previously, she worked at Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts and Houghton Mifflin’s college publishing division. 

Colleen earned her Bachelor of Arts in history from Connecticut College, where she was elected student body president, and her Master of Arts in literature from the Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College. She also attended Oak Knoll School, an all girls’ Catholic independent school in Summit, New Jersey, from grades 7 through 12, so she understands firsthand the distinct advantages of a single-gender education.

Colleen’s husband of 22 years, Booth Kyle, is a fellow educator, who will become Head of School at Indian Creek School in Crownsville, Maryland this summer. Her son Aidan is a senior at Lakeside School and her daughter Devin is a ninth grader who is involved in volleyball, rowing and tutoring. Colleen also enjoys reading and running. 

Colleen is honored to join the Roland Park Country School family and looks forward to developing our students’ talents, ethics and interests that will build the foundation for their adult lives. Colleen will draw upon her extensive leadership experience to facilitate collegial and productive teams of faculty members who are committed to building on the school’s strengths while drawing from the most promising new ideas about learning, particularly in the areas of assessment, mastery learning, and interdisciplinary thinking. Colleen has a passion for leading and mentoring and is happiest when her colleagues succeed and are recognized for their achievements, in the same way she relishes in her students’ successes.

I would like to extend my deepest thanks to our Upper School faculty search committee led by Carla Spawn-van Berkum and Sara Rollfinke, as well as our parent and student committees. These groups worked tirelessly over the past few months to find an outstanding leader for our Upper School. On behalf of all of us at RPCS, we are so grateful for the significant time and effort you all put into this extensive process and are delighted with the result! 

I also want to thank Ereni Malfa, our outgoing Upper School Head, for her 24 extraordinary years of service. We look forward to finishing out the school year with her and wish her all the best when she starts her new role at St. Paul’s School for Girls this summer. 

We are incredibly fortunate and excited for what lies ahead! When Colleen and her family arrive this summer, I know you will join me in giving them a warm welcome to Roland Park Country School. In the meantime, we will keep you informed of opportunities in the upcoming months to meet Colleen in person.

Sincerely,

Caroline Blatti
Head of School