Zoom Q&A With Noni Lopez
On February 12 the Poly Parents Association held a Zoom call with incoming Head of School Dr. Noni Thomas López. López, who is currently the Head of School at the Gordon School in East Providence, Rhode Island, will officially assume her position at Poly on July 1, 2025.
The call was conducted by Co-Presidents of the Poly Parents Association Kristen Heavy and Cat Arrieta. López began by expressing her excitement about her upcoming role at Poly. She stated that she and her family would be moving to New York City on July 1st, which will allow her to “really hit the ground running” when she begins at Poly in September. López also shared her “very ambitious goal” of having one-on-one meetings with every faculty member at Poly Prep. “I have been working my way through those conversations and learning so much,” she noted.
Parents were invited to submit questions prior to the call, which members of the PA read aloud. Below is a Q&A comprised of content from the zoom meeting.
Q: “Where will you be prioritizing your efforts during your first year at Poly?”
A: “I am going to dedicate much of my time to conversations with faculty, staff, trustees, and alumni. My questions have included: Why do you love Poly? Why do you stay? What are your hopes for the school in this new chapter? I am grateful for this time to get to know the community. A lot of my work will involve experiencing and evaluating systems and structures. This is some of the most important work to do in a complex organization if you want to develop a shared sense of purpose. It will also be important for me to assess the community’s readiness for change,” she said.
Lopez shared her vision for Poly’s future, acknowledging the importance of balancing taking time to observe and pushing for timely progress. “There is common advice given to new heads of schools: observe the people, culture, and community before making big changes. I think that advice is generally right. However, there are times when a school may be ready to move forward, and Poly may be one of those schools. Because Poly has been in somewhat of a holding pattern, the community may be ready to press the gas. That is what I will be listening for—are there things we can move on because people are ready?”
Regarding Poly’s current mission statement “Diversity, Excellence, Brooklyn” Lopez stated, “At Poly, the mission statement is not as prominent as you might see at other schools. That’s not a criticism, just an observation, and there may be reasons for that. Most people are familiar with the pillar ‘Diversity, Excellence, Brooklyn’—but that’s different from a mission statement. A mission statement embodies Poly’s unique identity. It articulates what we believe is important in the education of young people and what we hope our graduates will do in the world. A school needs to be clear about its mission so it is also clear on what it is working toward and why.”
López also discussed her past experiences with Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB), including addressing gender disparities in higher-level math courses. She emphasized the importance of having a clear understanding of what this work entails.
“This work is based on research. It shows that when students have a sense of belonging, their academic performance improves. Academic excellence and DEIB go hand in hand. In my conversations with members of the Poly community, diversity is the number one thing people mention as Poly’s superpower. It is my intention to nurture that, and doing so must be a community-wide commitment. I do not see any rollback of DEIB initiatives at Poly because why would I want to diminish something that has made Poly so great?”
Q: “What is your understanding of Poly’s college counseling efforts? Is there a plan to build on the department’s offerings to address the changing nature of college admissions?”
A: Prior to sharing her insights on the college process, Lopez addressed that she has a “high level of empathy” for students and families navigating today’s college admissions process. “The pressure to get into a small number of highly selective schools is immense. Families and students often feel like they are playing a game, one largely determined by colleges looking to increase applications and yield,” shared Lopez. “It will be my responsibility to ensure that Poly is committing the necessary resources to support students and families optimally in this evolving landscape.”
“What kind of culture do you hope to foster at Poly?”
A: “The work ahead is not about creating an entirely new culture at Poly—it’s about surfacing what is already here and determining what we want it to be. Culture flows out of mission and purpose.”
