Jayme Johnson is surrounded by children from St. Patrick’s School, Thousand Oaks, where she was installed as head of school on Sept. 16. Photo: Ryan Newman
[The Episcopal News] Bishop John Harvey Taylor installed Jayme L. Johnson, Ed.D., as new head of school at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School in Thousand Oaks on Sept. 16.
In his homily, Taylor joked, “St. Patrick’s messed with Texas and called Jayme out of St. John’s Episcopal School in Dallas.”
Held in St. Patrick’s Church, the service involved many students, parents, and teachers, who presented Johnson with numerous gifts, honoring and symbolizing her new role. The Rev. George Daisa, St. Patrick’s rector, and the Rev. Sarah Kitch, school chaplain, prepared and assisted with the liturgy.
Bishop John Harvey Taylor and rector George Daisa applaud Jayme Johnson, center, new head of school at St. Patrick’s School, Thousand Oaks. Photo: Ryan Newman
“Dr. Johnson is a talented and dynamic educator and administrator who will make a profound and indelible mark upon the St. Patrick’s community for many years to come,” said the Rev. Ryan D. Newman, executive director of the diocese’s Commission on Schools, who also attended the festive service.
Johnson comes to St. Patrick’s with an extensive background in education, including more than a decade as director of academic technology at Village School in Pacific Palisades, followed by six years at St. John’s Episcopal School in Dallas, Texas, where she served as the head of lower school as well as the associate head for academic and student affairs. She earned her B.A. and Ed.D. from California Lutheran University and an M.A. in educational technology from Pepperdine University.
“I am incredibly excited to accept the call to lead St. Patrick’s and to carry forward the mission, message, and momentum of this great school,” Johnson wrote in her opening letter to the community. “The first moments of my first day on campus began in Eucharist. And let me tell you, there is nothing like receiving a blessing from 144 students and their teachers to make someone feel embraced, seen, and valued.
“It is an honor to join such an amazing community and I look forward to continuing the superb work of [former head] Mrs. [Nancy] Whitson and the entire faculty and staff of St. Patrick’s as we head into our 60th anniversary.”
St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School, a private transitional K – 6 co-educational school, is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year as a pillar of excellence in academics in the community. Its mission is to “Inspire and Equip Children to Transform the World.”