Letter from Incoming Head of School Conrad Hughes

As soon as I arrived at LILA, I could sense in students, staff, parents and Board members the passion, love, community spirit and pride in what is, by all intents and purposes, a truly exceptional institution.

My two days at LILA inspired me. When I met a student at Los Feliz holding a Rubik’s cube, I asked him if he could scramble it; he seamlessly and joyfully matched all sides with a flick of the wrist. At Burbank, the students crafted their questions and considered my responses with aplomb and criticality, but also with respect and humanity. At West Valley, as the early Californian sun started to warm the morning crispness, children were smiling and laughing together as their teachers led them to class, hand in hand. In Pasadena, students waved back at me with a smile from their classrooms where I could see (you can pick these things up quickly), the learning was being crafted carefully and intentionally by the teachers.

A great school is a place where the education provided allows for social, intellectual, physical, and emotional qualities to flourish in every student. It was that sense of holistic learning at LILA that appealed to me and continues to appeal to me. Such a feeling of human flourishing can only come from a profound partnership between teachers and parents as they work together for this noble cause.

LILA is a place where students journey through the rigorous French system before choosing to take on the French or International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. All the way through, their bilingualism is nurtured, their academic prowess sharpened, and their views and intercultural competencies broadened. The conversations I had with staff brought home the talent and care that goes into this project, while I sensed from my interactions with parents a real investment in the School and a desire to reinforce partnerships around learning to even higher levels.

Anneli Harvey has clearly done some sterling work in building community, and I very much look forward to working with her and the Board, leadership team, staff, parents, and students to take LILA through the next chapter. I would like to thank you for the warm welcome you gave me during my visit and, most especially, to the Board for the robust recruitment process they designed, the hospitality they showed me, and for their confidence in appointing me.

My family and I are very excited about joining the School. It’s a privilege to have been given this wonderful opportunity to serve you and, at your side, to continue to build LILA together as we prepare students to thrive in an increasingly complex world full of challenges but, more especially, full of opportunities.

Vive notre partenariat, vive l’éducation, vive LILA!

Conrad Hughes

LILA Incoming Head of School