Our Wildwood, Volume 54

With a vision for what Wildwood could be and a commitment to all that it would take to realize it, Landis was hired in 2007 and immediately got to work. Those early priorities—centered around evolving the school and preserving its progressive roots—were codified in the “Vision 20/20” strategic plan of 2008. With a focus on establishing the school’s identity, securing its financial sustainability, and fueling programs through best practices and innovation, Landis helped Wildwood mature and expand, strengthening the progressive foundation for the academic experience and shoring up all the essential pieces of a successful independent school. Today, thanks in great part to Landis, Wildwood is a premier progressive K-12 school, whose programs are emulated throughout the country, and whose over 50-year commitment to an authentic progressive experience distinguishes it as a national leader and a research-driven laboratory for the future of education. CREATING “ONE SCHOOL” One of the first and most essential tasks facing Landis when he arrived was unifying two schools to establish a clear K-12 identity, a challenge made all the more complicated logistically and culturally because the schools would remain on separate campuses. By integrating the divisions into a cohesive learning community, he sought to ensure that the skills students needed for the future—synthesizing information or collaborating in diverse teams for instance—were articulated from kindergarten through 12th grade. When we hired Landis, we knew he was far and away the best candidate, but at the same time, we didn’t really know what we were getting and if he could really unify this whole new school. However, he never wavered. Right away, he just somehow knew how to take a school that was already good, but in its infancy, and mature it. He was able to take all these ideas about what a great K-12 school should be and make them practical and real.”

Landis worked and worked at building the bridge between the two campuses and strengthening us at all the connection points. He brought faculty together for lunches, professional development and curriculum revision. There was throughout the process a lot of blood, sweat and tears but Landis always balanced it by reminding us of what students needed throughout their journey and especially by the end of 12th grade. In a small, but powerful way, he built further cohesion among the faculty by insisting that ALL faculty process at graduation. It was his way of showing everyone that all the teachers in a K-12 school are invested at each stage of a student’s growth and feel a sense of collective pride when a student is launched. KATIE RIOS (P. ‘24) FACULTY AND DIRECTOR OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (1996-PRESENT) I have a vivid memory from 2008 of Rasheda and I proposing and putting forth the Diversity Leadership Team (later known as the Multicultural Leadership Team) model for the middle and upper school. We presented what we thought was this incredible model of faculty and administrators working together to build capacity and professional development, to develop and grow systems rooted in equity and inclusion that would support students and faculty, and to examine Wildwood’s culture through a DEI lens. We presented it—giddily—and Landis immediately affirmed our good work. It felt great. We believed his praise and positive feedback. It was good work, and we were proud. And then he started asking the questions, inviting us (nudging us?) to reflect upon the model to be K-12. You see, at that point in the school’s history, it hadn’t even dawned on us. The two campuses felt like two different schools. I remember Landis simply saying, ‘We are one school.’ It was a real turning point for us both. Our framework went from 6-12 to K-12. To us, this is Landis’s legacy as Head of School— helping to build and grow Wildwood’s culture as a K-12 school.”

MELINDA TSAPATSARIS (P. ‘28, ‘31, ‘33) FACULTY AND ASSOCIATE HEAD OF SCHOOL (2001-2017)

JOHN FRIEDMAN (P. ‘96, ‘05, ‘07) BOARD OF TRUSTEES (1992-PRESENT)

OWW SPRING 2026

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