Checking In with the Director of the Arts

THE LAB SENIOR LEADERSHIP Team (SLT) consists of the Head of School and Associate Head, the Chief Financial and Operations Officer, the Chief Advancement Officer, the Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management, the three Division Heads, the Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, the Director of Wellness and Social Emotional Learning, the Director of the Arts, and the Athletic Director. The Director of the Arts and Athletic Director joined the team at the start of the 2024–25 school year. They meet regularly to look at the school from the “10,000 foot” level.

“I think both [Athletic Director] Kip Crouch and I have been able to give a different perspective on the Senior Leadership Team,” says Ms. Kiernan. “Because we both work directly with students from each division, we see at every grade level what these disciplines can provide our student body. I feel really strongly that the arts and athletics offer the same thing: if you’re engaged in either, you’re learning how to work together, you’re learning how to be a leader, you’re learning how to compromise and take risks and deal with a certain level of stress. I think that at a lot of schools arts and athletics are pitted against each other, and I feel really fortunate that Kip and I both come from the perspective of wanting the kids to have as many opportunities as possible.”

Since Head of School Kim Wargo joined Lab in 2020, she has ensured that the voice of the arts is represented at the senior leadership level: outside of the robust performing and visual arts programs, the arts are heavily integrated into many different academic subjects at Lab. Having a single Director of the Arts presented an opportunity to unite the performing and visual arts at Lab. “One of the ways we have been making a concerted effort to bring the two arts departments together is to have a visual arts component of the divisional performing arts shows,” says Ms. Kiernan. “For example, when we had the band concert in the springtime we had a visual arts exhibition in Main Street. That is something we’re planning on for the 2025–26 school year, having a gallery opening on Main Street that parents can come look around, and then make their way into the theater to enjoy the performing arts performance.”

In her new position, Ms. Kiernan also wants to make arts integration more accessible to new teachers. “I am leading an arts integration workshop as part of the Wednesday morning PD series. As naturally as many teachers do it, it can actually be a pretty hard thing to do, especially if you haven’t had much exposure to it. I think that the biggest takeaway is: it doesn’t have to produce a huge museum-worthy piece; it could just be drawing a picture to represent what you’ve
learned. Having goals in both the arts areas and academic areas of a project lessens the stress of both.” Outside
of the classroom, Ms. Kiernan also envisions more collaborative, arts-centered community events, citing the Night Lights exhibition that was on display during the PALS Chili Cook-Off.

“My educational philosophy is rooted in a deep appreciation of the arts and their transformative and restorative power,” says Ms. Kiernan. “The arts teach us about ourselves and others and prepare us for the world.” This philosophy is reflected in recent LabDrama productions such as Fiddler on the Roof and Into the Woods, and in the opportunities Ms. Kiernan sees beyond Lab’s campus. “One of the things that we did at the very end of last year was a trip to see [musical] Kimberly Akimbo at the National Theatre. We had students who have not been in theater classes join
us. Some of them were visual artists, some were just students whose parents signed them up, but we had a really, really nice time, and it was fun to see them in a different setting.” Working alongside new Director of Auxiliary Programs Cristen Steele, Ms. Kiernan is exploring an art series throughout the year where students and chaperones can go see shows, concerts, gallery openings and more around the DMV area.

“The sky is the limit with what our kids can do, and what our program can become,” says Ms. Kiernan, and she points
to the feedback from the spring showcase 7 Days of Plays, in which students cast and rehearsed eight original plays in just one week. “I can’t tell you the number of people who said to me, ‘Now tell me the truth: the kids didn’t really write those, or they didn’t really just rehearse those in seven days,’ and they absolutely did. Our kids are just so creative and smart. It’s going to be amazing to see what they do in the future. I think we’re going to have some playwrights and actors and artists who are making waves.”