Biking alongside the Charles River on Tuesday, Sep 24, Head of School Jennifer Price caught up with the Girls’ Varsity Crew team during an afternoon row. It was a spontaneous, symbolic moment: Dr. Price had traveled to London to support the team at the Henley Royal Regatta in June, around the time when she was awaiting a cancer diagnosis. Now, during her last of many bike rides home from the Dana Farber Cancer Institute after her final day of treatment, she was accompanied by the very same boat.
“I was over in London screaming for them, and then here I was in my last 100 yards screaming for them as they were basically escorting me down the Charles. It was a cool moment.”
Dr. Price was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer in June. She had surgery in July followed by six weeks of radiation. The treatment “took a toll” on her but was successful, she said.
“My prognosis is really good. It was caught early, I’m under the best care at Dana Farber—a BB&N parent is overseeing my care—and I’m going to be okay.”
In a newsletter to families sent out on Sept. 6, Dr. Price shared her diagnosis and announced her decision to take a leave of absence for three weeks later that month. Her email received well over 100 replies of support.
“It’s been humbling, frankly, to have so many people reach out and not just say, good luck, but with really personal stories,” she said. “So many people in our community have been impacted by cancer and have offered words of encouragement and stories about how I’ve made their life maybe a little bit better at BB&N and how that’s been meaningful to them. It’s incredible.”
Her decision to take time off was difficult, but Dr. Price hopes that her leave will give her time to recover from months of treatment.
“The end of the school year is a long time away, and I was anxious about being able to make it to then at my normal energy level and my normal commitment to the school. And I felt like if I could take some time, I would be able to come back and make that level of commitment.”
Dr. Price started her leave on Thursday, Sept. 26. In her absence, Chief Learning Officer Jed Lippard and Chief Operating and Financial Officer Tara Gohlmann are in charge. Dr. Price said she is fully confident in their ability to lead.
“When a school is doing well, it should be able to function without a head of school for a few weeks, and I’m confident that the school is going to be able to function well without me for a few weeks. These are the moments where we understand the real strength of our community.”
For the next two weeks, she hopes to completely shut off. In her third week of leave, Dr. Price plans to visit her daughter in California, as she was unable to move her daughter into college due to her treatment schedule.
“I’m going to spend the first two weeks on Martha’s Vineyard, where my wife’s family has a home, and we’re going to just do nothing.” Dr. Lippard and Dr. Gohlmann were “honored” to support Dr. Price’s leave, along with the rest of the leadership team and the board of trustees.
“For her to be her best self moving forward, she deserves time away from the hustle and bustle of daily school life, and we are honored to be able to make this possible,” Dr. Lippard said. “We are also grateful to the board of trustees for encouraging Dr. Price to take care of herself, something she always encourages the members of her team to do.”
Both feel confident in their temporary roles, Dr. Lippard said. They plan to be even more present on campus and at school events in the coming weeks.
“Dr. Gohlmann and I will collaborate on responding to any matters during the three weeks that would otherwise rise to the level of Dr. Price. The good news is that Dr. Price is by nature a collaborative leader, and she habitually consults with us on these matters during our regular meetings.”
Dr. Price plans to be back on campus in time for Head of the Charles and alumni reunions in late October.
