A message from our founder

Growing up, I witnessed Wikipedia on a laptop replace Encarta on a desktop, replace WorldBook encyclopedias on a bookshelf. I’ve never known a world that wasn’t changing. And neither will today’s students.

But that doesn’t mean we don’t know what the future will hold. We live in a world that rewards people who can navigate ambiguity, tell persuasive stories, make good decisions, and collaborate effectively. Yet, these skills—which build agency—are too rarely taught in schools.

A belief I share with our team is that agency is so integral to personal success and collective progress that schools should be designed from the ground up to teach it. This is what we are doing at Rock Creek.

We also owe it to the next generation to educate them about the big issues of our times: We know that there is a teen mental health crisis now and that climate change may become the defining crisis of our future. We also need to reckon with our past to build a more inclusive future. At Rock Creek, our Practical Liberal Arts classes are designed to help students grapple and engage with the world around them. 

Middle school is a pivotal time, the bridge between childhood and adulthood. At its best, it’s when students learn to thrive both academically and personally–not just in high school but far beyond. At the Rock Creek School, we’re committed to kindling the childhood spark and helping it build to a blaze. 

We’d love for you to join our community and help us write our story, the story of what secondary education can be in the 21st century. 

Sarah Dillard, Founder

Sarah Dillard has been working in education for almost 20 years, most recently as the founder of Kaleidoscope Education. In that capacity, she worked with high school students from more than 30 DC-area high schools and 100+ countries around the world. She has previously been on the policy team at the US Department of Education, the founding team at NMSI, and the management team at Quad Learning. Sarah is a graduate of the Harvard Business School and the Harvard Kennedy School where she was a Reynolds Fellow and a George Fellow. She also holds a BA in economics, magna cum laude, from Duke University, where she was an A. B Duke Scholar. Sarah is a trustee at Capital City Public Charter School, a member of the ANC 2B mobility committee, and an emeritus member of Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership alumni advisory council.