Head of School Announcement
During the last several weeks, the Board of Trustees have been immersed in the search for a new head of school. We have been listening to our community members, and learning about your hopes and dreams for our wonderful school. We have taken our responsibilities to heart, building community and balancing the immediate challenges head-on while managing long term priorities. We would like to thank you once again for your feedback and support.
The response to the job posting, moreover, has been exciting and robust; and with each applicant we were reminded that KAS’s mission is strong, valued and respected, and that our school and community is a special unique place.
One candidate, however, immediately stood out among the rest.
The Kentucky Avenue School mission states that our goal is to educate children to become “compassionate global citizens.” The Board of Trustees is delighted to introduce you to our new Head of School, Brian Horvath, EdD, who we think exemplifies this effort. We hope you will join us in welcoming him—or rather, welcoming him back to KAS!
Despite facing academic challenges stemming from an undiagnosed learning difference through his early adulthood, Dr. Horvath persevered and became the first in his family to attend college. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and later obtained a Master’s degree in Learning and Teaching at Rutgers University in New Jersey before landing in Pittsburgh. During his doctoral studies at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Education Administrative and Policy Studies, Dr. Horvath worked as a teacher, coordinator, and administrator at Winchester Thurston, The Ellis School, and the then newly established Kentucky Avenue School. Notably, Dr. Horvath served as the first principal of KAS before embarking on a 20-year career as an international educator.
Starting in Hangzhou, China, Dr. Horvath has worked as a school director and educational consultant in places like Morocco, Jamaica, Venezuela, India, Indonesia. Currently, he is the N-12 principal at the Inter American Academy in Guayaquil, Ecuador. His efforts have generally been with schools facing change (enrollment declines, culture shift, program development, etc.). Additionally, Dr. Horvath has been part of over a dozen school accreditations and countless learning initiatives. He has worked mainly in US-accredited schools, but has also supported orphanages and not-for-profit organizations as a dedicated activist for student needs.
As an educator, Dr. Horvath writes that: ”My philosophy supports inclusive, achievable expectations for each student. For me, project- and competency-based learning ensure that students can maximize their individual experiences. I empower students to take action through dignified discourse, and I embrace that students are, in fact, ‘creators’ of individual and shared worlds. I also believe the ‘process’ of learning and the act of creation is the goal of Education – as is lifelong learning. I encourage a collaborative work environment built around real-world experiences – and personal responsibility. As a parent, a thinker, and as an educator, I question what ‘Education’” IS, and I see ‘schooling’ as somewhat diffuse and malleable. By embracing this grander view, I empower our younger people to learn in more dynamic ways.”
Dr. Horvath is joined by his wife Ani Rubin, who is also an educator, and their two sons, Mac (age 16) and Jake (age 14) – born in Shanghai, China, and Tangier, Morocco respectively. He adds: “In some paradoxical way, even though we’ve traveled, worked, and lived in so many different countries for so many years as a family, we always considered Pittsburgh home. And now is the perfect time to finally return to our house and to life in Pittsburgh’s East End. Kentucky Avenue was a starting point for me as a school administrator. And while I have visited dozens of international schools around the world, KAS has always carried a particular mystique – it’s always been something I have hoped to reproduce abroad. The union of returning to Pittsburgh AND reconnecting with KAS is something for which I am particularly grateful, and my expectation is to provide insight and a lot of hard work to assure our children continue to have access to the city’s best K-8 learning environment.”
With this exciting news, it is incumbent that we also express our immense gratitude to Ellen McConnell Sanderson for her service to our school and for working alongside the board in navigating the unique and complex challenges of the last three years. We will continue to work closely with Ellen and, together, remain committed to ensuring a smooth transition over the next several weeks. As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at boardnews@kentuckyavenueschool.org.
Thank you again for your continued support, and please join us as we welcome back Dr. Brian Horvath to lead KAS into the next big chapter!