While sitting in a meeting with Director of Upper School Dr. Melanie Arias, giggles crept into the room from just outside the door. Dr. Arias walked over and opened the door to reveal two students hoping to share an athletics-related idea. She encouraged them to email her and set up a meeting to discuss this proposal further. The door to an administrator’s office can feel daunting, but after the two students left, I could not help but note the community and welcoming nature Dr. Arias has created in only one year on campus. 

The start of the 2024-2025 Westridge school year welcomed a new Upper School administration team. Dr. Melanie Arias joined Westridge as the Director of Upper School in July prior to the academic year from Windward School in Los Angeles. Ms. Kali Spicer, who had previously worked at Westridge during 2016-2019 as the Westridge Student Leadership Assistant, returned to Westridge as the Administrative Assistant to Upper School. Ms. Kerri Epps, who has been at Westridge as a music teacher since 2019, stepped in as the Assistant Director of Upper School, and Ms. Bonnie Paiz Martinez, who has been an administrator and Spanish teacher at Westridge for 26 years, continued as the Upper School Dean of Student Support. 

Coming into the 2024-2025 school year, the new team was eager to connect, build community, and maintain clear communication throughout Westridge. 

As the only team member completely new to the school, Dr. Arias especially hoped to build a community at Westridge. This past year, she devoted much of her time to forging connections, whether that be by organizing spirit events, attending theatre productions, or simply welcoming students through her open door. “Thinking back to moments where a student came by to give me an update on something that they had asked me about and wanted to circle back to, or a faculty member trusted me with some challenge that they were going through, those are probably the most important moments of building community connected to this office,” she said.

Reflecting on year one, Dr. Arias has discovered a lot about Westridge, including the way community members share their feelings and lean into vulnerability, noting that it is easier to “wear your heart on your sleeve” here than it may be in other communities.

Dr. Arias not only made connections throughout the greater Westridge community but also within her Upper School Admin team. “I couldn’t think of better people or a team that’s brought more joy and laughter,” she said. 

Joining a team is one thing, but building one is another. It takes constant collaboration and trust. Fortunately, for this team, they enjoy being in each other’s offices and attending campus events together.

Ms. Spicer has also felt connected to the new team since they first started working together over the summer. “Right away, we just gelled and clicked and understood each other,” she said.

Ms. Spicer shared that while taking a walk with Dr. Arias around the neighborhood around Westridge after their first week, they felt as though they had been working together for years. 

Ms. Martinez, the only team member not new to her role, said, “I would say that this is the most creative, innovative, and energetic team that I’ve worked with.”

Ms. Epps has also had a wonderful experience working with the new team this year. “It’s been really great. I feel very supported by all of my administrator colleagues,” she said. “Because it was so much newness for all of us, I think honestly, we have all helped each other and learned together and grown with each other.”

With the addition of the Assistant Director of Upper School role and the new individuals stepping into existing roles, the new administrative team had the opportunity to rethink the roles and responsibilities of the different team members. 

Though they are constantly communicating and collaborating, each team member also has individual responsibilities. Ms. Martinez, for example, coordinates student groups, including Student Life and the Restorative Council, previously known as the Honor Council. Ms. Martinez reflected on the Restorative Council, “The [Restorative Council] team has been amazing… We have 25 rising sophomores applying, and we are only choosing three. That, to me, speaks to the success of it. That just gives me goosebumps, I’m happy about that.”

After the resignation of Upper School Science Teacher and Associated Student Body (ASB) Coordinator Ms. Brooke Surin, the responsibilities of supporting ASB, including the organization of All School Day, greatly fell on Ms. Spicer. Though the day required a great amount of planning, All School Day turned out to be a highlight of Ms. Spicer’s year. “I kind of came in at the 11th hour to help ASB with All School Day,” she said. “I love ASB, and I love All School Day, and so that was a real highlight for me that came together. And with the support of the team, it was really great.”

For Ms. Epps, a large part of her role is organizing Discovery Week, Westridge’s week of international, domestic, and local enrichment. This year, 11 Discovery Week trips ran. “It’s a tremendous undertaking to send our entire school on trips all at the same time… All the trips went off, everyone had a wonderful time,” said Ms. Epps. “They learned, they grew, they discovered, and they came back. Everyone was safe, and it went well.”

Middle and Upper School Mandarin Teacher Ms. Lily Shang-Strom acknowledges this team’s hard work. “They are very eager to get the job done well. At the same time, they are very eager to reach out and find solutions. I think that’s amazing because I have been involved in a few tasks where I worked with them, and I have really seen their passion and their love for the students and their care for the families,” said Ms. Shang-Strom. “I really appreciate their first year, they worked really hard.”

Caroline M. ’26 believes that students voicing their concerns to administration is essential. “I love to chat with her. I’ve had conversations with her about the uniform… She’s been very receptive to what I’ve told her,” they said.

Freshman Suehailey C., like Dr. Arias, is finishing up her first year at Westridge. While the new admin team is the only one she has experienced at Westridge, she has had a positive experience thanks to her teachers, friends, and the administration, who ultimately run much of what happens behind the scenes. “I’m thankful because Westridge is a pretty good place and they’re the reason why,” said Suehailey C. ’28.

This year was especially difficult for all members of the community due to the devastating Eaton fire. A first year is already a difficult endeavor, and the resilience and community that it took to keep going post-fires made the year that much harder. Dr. Arias was impressed by the community that she consistently sees “taking care of itself.” She said, “Something that I’m continually seeing is the way that this community takes care of itself, and I mean that in everything from students letting admin know how we can better support students dealing with a deep impact of the fires, but also little things like the way that the spaces we just used for prom were left.”

Dr. Arias’s goals for next year and beyond include being more involved in students’ day-to-day lives as an “encourager and checker-inner” and conducting a smoother rollout of communication among faculty, staff, and the greater community. “The things that you do in this job, and the things that this year has brought to this community, are really just a lot of things that go straight to your heart,” said Dr. Arias.