Elliott to Exeter: ‘My heart is coming for you’

Exeter’s next principal formally introduced herself to the community Friday, delivering inspiring remarks at assembly and taking a whirlwind tour of campus.

Jenny Elliott spent the day meeting students, faculty and staff and getting to know her way around what will become her new home next summer when she succeeds Bill Rawson as the Academy’s 17th principal.

“I cannot wait to become your principal, and I’ll work hard to get up to speed as best I can to kick off the 26-27 academic year,” Elliott told the students at the morning assembly. “I will count on you to guide me in our opening months together.”

“I’m eager to join you in the classroom, at practice, in the performance halls and in the dining hall, and I’m looking forward to celebrating your progress in the years ahead. Spending time with you will be the very best part of my job.”

Elliott was named as Rawson’s successor in November after a global search. She will arrive from Choate Rosemary Hall, where she serves as head of student and academic life.

Rawson announced last spring the 2025-26 school year would be his last as principal after eight years leading the Academy. He introduced Elliott to the students Friday, saying “You all know how deeply I care about this school. I believe we will be in good hands; we will be in the hands of a caring, trusting leader who will build on our many strengths and help us imagine a very bright future.”

Elliott, an Andover graduate, assured her new charges that her newfound loyalty to Exeter will not waver.

“I’ve loved school since I was a kid, so much so that I’ve never really left. I’ve been a student, teacher, administrator, coach, or parent at 19 different schools. I have taught second, third, fifth, sixth, ninth, 10th, 11th, and 12th graders. I have four children, ages 14, 17, 20, and 21, who are students at four different schools. I’m still currently a student. My former and current teachers, my former and current colleagues, my former and current students are some of the most important humans in my life, and I’ve had exceptionally wise and generous mentors to whom I turn regularly for guidance. … I feel tremendously lucky these institutions and these school people have become part of who I am.

“I’m also a fiercely loyal person who feels deeply. When we were about to have our second child, in a quiet, private, sort of sheepish moment, I confessed to my mom that I was really worried I was not going to be able to love this next little person as much as I loved our first. And my mom, ever wise and understanding, explained to me that that’s just not the way love works. It’s not the way our hearts work. She shared with me, ‘The more you love, the more you love. Your heart grows.’ And since then, with every subsequent life edition and transition, my mom’s lesson holds. My heart has grown, and I have loved more.

“So, Exeter, get ready, because my heart is coming for you.”