Faculty & Staff

By Andrew Sharp, History Department Chairman

It is fitting that in the year that Madeira is celebrating Co-Curriculum’s 50^th anniversary, Larry Pratt, a teacher who shaped so many Madeira students’ experiences on Capitol Hill, has rejoined Madeira’s faculty and is teaching a new generation of Madeira girls the importance of civic engagement. Larry’s connection to the Co-Curriculum program goes back to 1998, when he began at Madeira as a part-time teacher of Public Affairs, a class for juniors that met before they got on the bus to go their placements.   “Public Affairs was a real class,” recalls Larry, “with Junior Journals, tests, and a research paper. It was a lot of work for the students, but when they got to their offices on Capitol Hill they knew the issues and the system.” Larry went on to become a full-time member of the History Department and the leader of the junior Co-Curriculum experience in 2000. When we sat down to talk, it was shortly after another anniversary – the 15^th anniversary of September, 11. Larry vividly remembers the challenges of continuing the junior year Capitol Hill program in the subsequent weeks. “While parents saw the importance of showing the world we would not be stopped by these attacks, they were also concerned about their daughter’s safety.” Their concerns were heightened when Senator Tom Daschle’s office, a site where a Madeira student worked, received Anthrax in the mail. In a sign of the commitment to carrying on the Co-Curriculum Capitol Hill program, Larry traveled down to Capitol Hill with the juniors and spent the day there with them for the rest of the year. “I would spend my days stationed at the Senate Page School, [Madeira Parent Katherine Weeden was head of the school at the time] and visit Madeira girls in their offices to let them know somebody was there for them.”

After years of teaching his students the importance of civic engagement, Larry put his lessons into action. In 2012 he left teaching to establish and run Win the Future, Young America, a non-profit organization working to improve civic engagement and voter turnout among younger generations. Although it meant he no longer was in the classroom working with his students, Larry was living his call to action and serving as a model for his students. After four years of work, Win The Future, Young America was not building the wider audience it needed, and Larry was missing the conversations with students and teachers. In 2016, Larry returned to the classroom full-time, where he now shares experiences from his work with Win the Future, Young America. In addition to being an expert in voter turnout and participation, Larry also has learned important lessons. “The Madeira School value of ‘Resiliency’ resonates with me,” says Larry. “I know what it means to devote a lot of hard work yet not quite reach your goal, just like our students occasionally experience.”

Larry returned to the classroom at a time when Madeira is working to teach students the importance of civil dialogue, especially in the midst of the 2016 election. Head of School, Pilar Cabeza de Vaca, tapped Larry to serve as an advisor to both the Young Republicans and Young Democrats clubs on campus, and inspiring the Madeira community to model respectful discussions despite expressing passionately different views. While civil discourse was not always evident on the national stage, Madeira’s lecture series on the elections produced widespread engagement, thoughtful questions and a connection to the historic 2016 election. As a truly passionate teacher of history and government, Larry finds “every election season fascinating. The 2000 election, like this year, had its own fascinating moments. We had ‘hanging chads,’ the Supreme Court effectively determining the election’s outcome, and a former first lady becoming a U.S. Senator.” 

Navigating the terrain of the passionate political discussion is truly hard, but Larry believes necessary for students to be truly engaged in their world. “You have to exist in this community where some of your values may not match the values of the rest of the community. So, how do we avoid alienating some for their beliefs? We start by establishing we are all good, decent people, with good intentions.” To reinforce this idea, Larry has posted a sign above his whiteboard in the front of the classroom that reads "Judge Not,” a clear call for us to first seek to understand. In Larry’s view, the history classroom is the ideal place to learn these lessons. “There are plenty of people in history with views that challenge our own. We can practice what it is like to try to understand their views.”   

In 2011, Larry was part of a community wide committee tasked with distilling Madeira’s Mission Statement from several paragraphs to its true essence. The result, “Launching women who change the world,” has been at the center of Larry’s work with Madeira girls. Whether through Co-Curriculum or his history classes, Larry has helped “launch” countless young women who are civically engaged and know how to participate in civil dialogue - exactly what the world needs at this moment. Show Less

Katie LaRue comes to Madeira after serving as associate director of Athletics at Mercersburg Academy, where she managed logistics for 45 teams and served as head girls’ basketball and volleyball coach, as well as being an integral part of the residential life programs. As a coach, LaRue has successfully developed winning programs with strong cultures. During her tenure as Mercersburg Academy’s head girls’ basketball coach, the program re-established itself as a competitive force.  In 2016, Mercersburg had its most successful season in program history, winning its first-ever Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association championship, and LaRue was voted Public Opinion Coach of the Year. Prior to her time at Mercersburg, LeRue led her first basketball team at Asheville School to the Carolina Athletic Association Conference finals, upsetting the No. 1 seed along the way. Her players have earned many post-season honors and she has supported numerous athletes through the collegiate recruitment process. . . Read more Show Less

Ms. Min joined the Madeira community in the fall of 2015. Prior to coming to Madeira, Ms. Min worked as camp director at a local independent school for four years. Before pursuing a career in education, Ms. Min spent over six years working in New York  as a business analyst in marketing and strategy for financial firms  J.P. Morgan Chase and Neuberger Berman targeting both high net worth and institutional clients. She earned her bachelors in American Studies from Smith College and a Master in Business Administration from The George Washington University.  Ms. Min enjoys planning and working summer camp as it reminds her of when she was a camper.  Camp affords her the opportunity to make a positive impact on children’s lives. . . Read more Show Less

In July of 2014, Hunter Southworth was named Director of Residential Life for Madeira. Southworth, a graduate of a boarding school himself, brings a keen understanding of secondary school community life and the nuances that make a boarding program successful. The position was a natural fit for him, as he has been part of the Madeira community for over eight years, working in the Development Office, and living on campus much of that time...Read More Show Less

Teacher. Scientist. Advisor. Innovator. Leader. Coach. Whether you are a student or co-worker at Madeira, these are words that come to mind when you think about Dr. Ashley Johnson. Along with being a master teacher in the Science Department, Dr. Johnson coaches field hockey and is a senior class advisor. She also served as a goal group leader for Madeira’s strategic planning process and is a member of the Curriculum Leadership Team which has been leading analysis, research, and discussion on how best to execute Madeira’s strategic goal of being the leader in 21^st century leader in girls’ education. Dr. Johnson has a hand in so many new and exciting things happening on campus: the launch of Madeira’s new modular schedule, a sophomore Co-Curriculum service project in which students are proposing their own designs to provide disabled veterans easy access to the Potomac River for canoeing and kayaking, the Physics with Geometry class creating 5K running routes for the Senior Fun Run...Read More Show Less