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LANETT — Springwood’s newly named head of school, Dr. Kim Baylis, met with faculty members in the school’s Commons Building Wednesday afternoon and pledged to hit the ground running this summer on some accreditation issues and to prepare for a smooth opening for the 2022-23 school year.

Dr. Baylis is not exactly a stranger. She’s been at Springwood since July and is well-liked by the faculty, staff, students and parents.

“We feel this was the right choice for our school,” said Board of Trustees member Dr. Holly Carey, a Biblical Studies teacher at Point University. “We are pleased with what she had done for our school since coming here.”

Baylis has an impressive and well-traveled background in her 25 years as an educator. She grew up in Connecticut and has lived much of her life outside the U.S. She has taught in Hungary and in western Canada near Vancouver. Baylis went back to Connecticut for a year before coming to Springwood. She has a 24-year-old daughter, Katherine, who is well educated and lives in the Chicago area.

On May 23, Baylis will succeed Lowrie McCown as the head of the school.

“I am really excited about this opportunity,” Baylis told her fellow educators. “I just love working with all of you. This school is fortunate to have a staff that’s super committed in what they do for their students. The Springwood teachers love their kids and are great to work with.”

Founded in 1970, Springwood School is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS). It serves approximately 300 students in grades pre-K to 12. The school’s International Program sees growth with each passing year. There are presently 34 students from nine different countries enrolled in it.

Springwood’s goals are to prepare today’s students for jobs that have yet to be created, using technology that has not been invented, to solve problems that have yet to be identified.