Among many faculty members who are new to the school this year is Dean of Students, Dean Lord. She is the dean who oversees juniors and seniors at DePaul College Prep. She can often be found in the hallways during passing periods or in the dining hall, interacting with students and forming connections.

Dean Lord has over 20 years of experience as both a teacher and in leadership positions such as her role as a dean here at DePaul Prep. Most of these years were spent in various positions in New York, but she has been a Chicago resident for several years. She has “experience in both public schools and private schools,” but she says that the differences are more subtle than you would expect. “With private schools, there’s more resources, which is not to say that the students are better than in public schools.” As evidence of this, she points to DePaul Prep’s brand new facility and expanding campus.

As of now, Dean Lord has had a positive experience with the school. She had always been aware of DePaul Prep and its potential for expansion, and appreciates being new to the school as it grows, saying that she feels a sense of connection with the freshmen as they “all came in together.”

“I love the energy here at the school, as well as the students,” she says. One of her favorite parts about DePaul Prep is their “philosophy, and goals in terms of supporting students.” In fact, one of her main attractions to the school was how DePaul Prep brings in and supports students who are marginalized elsewhere. One of the goals of DePauls administration is “bringing in more and more diversity into the student body.” She hopes DePaul and its students continue to grow as an “amazing space for young people.” 

As DePaul Prep learns and adapts to “support a growing school,” Dean Lord hopes to “find areas where [she] can have more impact, and continue to make sure that the student body and student culture are healthy.” She says she is still working to understand students’ personalities, in the hope that she will have more impact that way, but one of her biggest goals is to “make sure that all students have a voice.”

The best way for students to get their voice heard is to get organized.  Whether it’s “via student government or via clubs, this is your school,” and she believes that every student has a chance to make it better. Getting students to care about their school and their high school experience is something that matters a lot to Dean Lord, and she emphasizes that students should “feel free to pop in and get to know us,” and that the deans shouldn’t only be looked at as someone who is there to punish.