Head of School Lee Fertig delivered his annual 90-minute comprehensive updates of the school at San Mateo on the evening of Jan. 11 and Hillsborough the next morning. He discussed a breadth of topics, including student enrollment, finances, and updates on the strategic framework.
Fertig began his first fully in-person addresses by sharing three dimensions of Nueva’s performance in the last year: metrics, progress on the five-year plan’s strategic goals, and testimonials by community members from across divisions.
He also shared key figures of Nueva’s finances: a quadrupled endowment between 2020 and 2023, and a 94% participation rate in the Nueva Fund, the school’s annual fundraising initiative.
“It’s a testament to the generosity of our community,” Director of Annual Giving Anne Cavanaugh said.
Fertig also presented data from Nueva’s admissions department. Over the past seven years, applications have risen by 66% across divisions—with major growth in the Lower School and Upper School—while Nueva’s acceptance rate has fallen to 13%.
In the second part of his presentation, Fertig shared qualitative data about the 12 goals of the 2022–2027 strategic framework: Renew, Innovate, Belong. Among many advances, he highlighted the San Mateo and Hillsborough campuses’ art and athletic renovations; soft launching a Center for Applied Research in Education (CARE), where Nueva will use research to aid educators across the country; the creation of an Upper School community service learning coordinator position for the 2024–2025 school year; and increasing community awareness of DEI policy and protocols.
And, for the first time, Fertig invited four community members to share their blind reactions at the end of his speech: Alex Wagonfeld ’24, alum Lucie Lin ’23, Assistant Director of Communications and Upper School journalism teacher LiAnn Yim, and Nueva Parents Association (NPA) co-president Lindsay Louie.
All four panelists shared gratitude for the uniquely Nueva offerings that Fertig had presented: Wagonfeld for the internship program, Upper School Quest program, and the opportunity to dive deeply into his classes; Lin for renewed commitment to fostering civil discourse and diversity in the community; Yim for the humanities and arts expansions and Fertig’s transparent updates on the strategic plan; and Louie for Fertig’s efforts to spotlight and collaborate with parent volunteers.
Louie also shared her reflections on the twelve different strategic framework pillars, which Nueva will continue to work on over the next four years. “They feel so right for this school at this moment,” she said. “I’m always struck by how each [strategic plan pillar] resonates with me.”
Similarly, Nueva parent Peter Blaustein appreciated seeing the “breadth and depth” of Nueva’s progress. Reflecting on the continued efforts of administration and parent volunteers, he said, “We just keep getting better by putting in time and energy. ”
Beyond Louie and Blaustein, Fertig’s presentation sparked reflections among other parents on topics ranging from upcoming campus expansions and renovations to school-led trips to efforts for diversity and inclusion.
Nueva parent Jennifer Sepulveda reacted to the update by Fertig on increasingly competitive admissions at the school.
“Sad isn’t quite the right word, but it made me think of how much we need to reach gifted students, not at Nueva,” Sepulveda said. “How do we think about our responsibility externally?”
Another Nueva parent, Hoon Cho, was interested in the school-wide community survey conducted last spring that found that one-third of students don’t feel comfortable expressing their views at Nueva.
“There is a shared responsibility to not equate majority opinion with dogmatic or correct,” he recognized.
The State of Nueva presentations, led by Fertig and attended by parents and faculty, saw dozens of adults come together in a shared effort to support the school’s students. “When [students] realize adults in the community care about them, it’s the greatest feeling in the world,” said Middle School Division Head Karen Tiegel.
