[Grace Episcopal Day School] The Board of Governors of Grace Episcopal Day School and the Vestry of Grace Church are extremely pleased to announce that Malcolm C. Lester has been named the new head of Grace Episcopal Day School, Kensington, Maryland, effective July 1, 2012.
The Board and Vestry concluded that Mr. Lester is a strong and dynamic leader who personifies the values of the school and can strengthen and lead us forward, while preserving the Episcopal and community values the School holds dear. As the school integrates its early childhood and elementary programs in Kensington and focuses on its core mission of nurturing the minds, bodies and spirits of young children in a diverse and welcoming community, the board believes Mr. Lester will bring a leadership filled with energy, enthusiasm, and vision to the school
When asked why he wanted to lead Grace, Mr. Lester replied, “Grace Episcopal Day School has many assets, ranging from a remarkably diverse student body to a focus on academic excellence and character education. The school exudes care, compassion, and warmth. After learning about the school and then witnessing it first-hand, it is easy to see that there is congruency between the school’s mission and its culture: Grace is what it says it is. Grace faces exciting times with the consolidation of two campuses into one building, which will present the opportunity for new traditions and ideas. I am looking forward to being a part of it all and I am honored to lead and serve Grace Episcopal Day School as it begins this new era.”
Mr. Lester has worked as an administrator, teacher and coach at St. Albans School, Washington, DC, for twenty one years. For the last fourteen years, he has directed the Skip Grant Program, a support and guidance program for students with historically underrepresented backgrounds in grades 4 through 12. He also currently serves as assistant director of admission for grades 4 through 8, teaches English and physical education and is the head lacrosse coach. Mr. Lester serves on the boards of Beauvoir School, the National Cathedral Elementary School, and the Bishop John T. Walker School for Boys, a diocesan-supported Episcopal school for low income children in Anacostia.
Mr. Lester holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from Springfield and William and Mary Colleges and a master’s degree in school counseling from Trinity Washington University. He has written widely on education, diversity and athletics, and, in his spare time, runs marathons and ultra-marathons. He is married to Hilary Cairns, director of the Parent and Adolescent Support Services Program for the District of Columbia. They have three children; daughter Page (age 12), and sons Teddy (9) and Grant (6).