Welcome From Head of School
Greetings, All!
Welcome to The Hamlin School website, and thank you very much for taking the time to explore our magnificent school for girls. We have been on the same mission since 1896, when our courageous founder Sarah Dix Hamlin established a school where girls and young women would be “educated to meet the challenges of their time.” Indeed, the challenges we are seeing locally, nationally, and globally are numerous and immense, and our professional community and Board of Trustees remain steadfast in our collective commitment to ensure that Hamlin girls step forward as courageous leaders. During their years at the school, Hamlin girls learn that finding solutions to the world’s problems is a moral imperative– a “must-do.” As I enter my eighteenth year leading this remarkable school, I can say with confidence and pride that our alumni are deeply committed to justice and social change.
Sarah Dix Hamlin’s pioneering spirit continues to infuse the school today as our girls are taught to voice their ideas, questions, and opinions and to use their critical and creative thinking skills to transform their communities. Frequent opportunities for leadership and public speaking, competitive athletics and physical education, annual excursions to San Francisco City Hall, Sacramento, and Washington D.C., service learning, outdoor adventures, and the teaching of ethical values are integral to our program and complement the rigorous study of literature, social studies, mathematics, science, Spanish, and the arts. Hamlin girls love to learn, they take pride in their many accomplishments, they are taught to be kind to themselves and others, and they feel confident and fully prepared when they move on to high school. We are a school that celebrates the value of both work and play, so that even as we prepare the girls for their bright futures, we also appreciate and emphasize the joy of childhood and adolescence as special moments which should not be rushed.
I am particularly proud of the girls’ interdependence and close connections to each other as well as their ability to act as confident, independent individuals. Simply put, Hamlin girls know how to stand together and how to stand on their own. We expect our girls to treasure each other as sisters while also celebrating their individuality, and we encourage them to keep the school’s Creed at the heart of their behavior and decision-making: Compassion, Courage, Honesty, Respect, and Responsibility. A dedicated and diverse professional community arrives on our newly expanded, purpose-built campus each day to ensure that Hamlin girls grow up to be kind, healthy, confident, and smart.
It is my pleasure and privilege to represent the Hamlin community and to lead it forward, and I look forward to sharing our bold strategic vision for the school’s future with you. I extend a heartfelt invitation to you to explore our website, connect with us on social media, and visit our beautiful urban campus in person. I look forward to welcoming you.
Warmly,
Wanda Marie Holland Greene
Head of School