Meet Our New Middle School Director

Episcopal Day School is thrilled to announce that Melissa Strong will serve as the next Middle School Director at Episcopal Day School.  

Melissa exudes love for middle school students, expertise in curriculum development and pedagogy, and a passion for social-emotional learning.

The feedback from our students captures their connection with their new Director: “I loved her, and she was amazing. I already think she is the one for this school,” enthused one student after her visit.  Another said she will bring “confidence, help with public speaking, and just kindness.” How wise—and thoughtful—our students are.  

The faculty was similarly captivated by Melissa’s expertise: “She exudes warmth, competence, and confidence. She is savvy about implementing systems and processes across many different facets of school. She is clearly a seasoned administrator who knows how to see projects through to completion.” 

Indeed, Melissa is a seasoned administrator with extensive accomplishments as an independent school leader. Previously, she served as the Director of Studies at the Viewpoint School in Calabasas, the Assistant Head of Middle School at Viewpoint and as Chair of the Middle School World Languages Department at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles. Teaching Spanish and serving as an advisor has been central to the entirety of Melissa’s career and informs her work as a leader.  

Melissa holds an Ed.D. in Leadership and Innovation from Arizona State University, an M.A. in Hispanic Languages and Literature from UCLA, and a B.A. in Psychology with a Minor in Spanish from UCLA. Outside of school life, Melissa enjoys running half marathons, hiking, creative writing, and photography.

Melissa is effusive about her excitement for the Middle School Director role and her eagerness to join the Episcopal Day community. She shared, “I am excited to be part of a learning community that fosters both intellectual growth and strength of character, and that recognizes the unique potential of the middle school years for shaping confident, curious, and caring leaders.” And she added, “I was absolutely enamored by the exclamations of ‘Go Mustangs!’ after each of the morning Chapel announcements, and I cannot wait to join in!”

Please welcome Melissa Strong to the Episcopal Day community.