Armistead Lemon, a Roanoke native and 1995 graduate of North Cross School, has spent the last 19 years in independent school education where she has focused on best practices in teaching and learning, developing faculty leaders, and conducting research on student confidence.
After graduating from North Cross School, she received her B.A. in English from Washington and Lee University and received her M.A. in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has continued her education in independent school leadership through fellowships at the Klingenstein Institute at Columbia University’s Teachers College and through the Emerging Leaders program at Vanderbilt University.
Previously a senior administrator and teacher at Harpeth Hall School in Nashville, TN, she has been honored to return to her hometown of Roanoke to serve as North Cross’s first female Head of School and first alumna Head of School is in her second year of headship. She lives on the campus of North Cross with her husband, Calvin, and two children, Henry and James.
After graduating from North Cross School, she received her B.A. in English from Washington and Lee University and received her M.A. in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has continued her education in independent school leadership through fellowships at the Klingenstein Institute at Columbia University’s Teachers College and through the Emerging Leaders program at Vanderbilt University.
Previously a senior administrator and teacher at Harpeth Hall School in Nashville, TN, she has been honored to return to her hometown of Roanoke to serve as North Cross’s first female Head of School and first alumna Head of School is in her second year of headship. She lives on the campus of North Cross with her husband, Calvin, and two children, Henry and James.
do you know armistead lemon?
The Roanoker magazine, November/December 2023: Do You Know Armistead Lemon?
INVESTITURE: REMARKS FROM HEAD OF SCHOOL ARMISTEAD LEMON '95
9/30/2022
My heart is full. I am humbled and honored and overjoyed to be leading North Cross at this exciting time in its history.
I would like to thank North Cross’s Board of Trustees for your belief in my leadership and for bestowing on me the honor of a lifetime – to return to my alma mater as its ninth Head of School. I am deeply grateful to our Board Chair, Sarah Boxley Beck, for her unwavering support and wisdom and for her steadfast devotion to North Cross.
I am so moved by the sentiments shared today. Vivian Pickerel and Ed Dickenson – my NCS journey comes full circle with the two of you. Willis Logan, longtime friend - thank you for your blessing and encouragement. Tim Fish, how can I possibly thank you adequately? You are a difference maker - an inspiration to me and to all of us in the independent school world. Thank you for your kind and generous words and for making two visits in one month to the Star City. It’s pretty fabulous, isn’t it?
I want to acknowledge my parents, Phil and Libba Lemon, who are here today, and who, many years ago, gave me the gift of a North Cross education. What a gift it has been. Thank you. My sister, Anne Lemon, Class of 1996, is also here today – thank you for your enduring support of me.
Thank you to the senior administrative leadership team and the faculty and staff for the warm and supportive welcome home. I feel fortunate every day that I get to work alongside each of you.
Jamie Lee, William Greer, Victor Lamas, Richard Rudolph, Marlo Pearson and members of the Leadership Team–Thank you for putting together this very special Investiture celebration for our entire community.
Thank you, students – your joy and creativity, your dedication and school spirit inspire me every single day. I absolutely love being your Head of School. I’m so proud of you all. A special thank you to our Student Council Association for your always impressive leadership and for greeting our guests this morning.
I’m honored and humbled that John Tucker and Bert Hudnall, two legendary former North Cross Heads of School, are here today with us. Both of you had a significant and lasting impact on my education and the education of hundreds of North Cross alumni. Thank you for being here and welcome back. My thanks as well to my former Head of School, David Dougherty, who has been cheering me on since I was a ninth grader here and whose encouragement I still value tremendously, and of course to Chris Proctor, for his generous support of me and for leaving North Cross the strong and thriving school that it is today.
To my North Cross teachers and coaches. You were giants to me when I was a student here, and you are still. Thank you for inspiring what has become my life’s work.
I want to welcome back my classmates from the Class of 1995, we were pretty awesome, weren’t we? It is so good to see many of you here today. Thank you, Caro Thomas Williams, for being our fearless class leader still and for your lifelong friendship.
Thank you to my dear friends and family who have made the trip to Roanoke today and to those joining us virtually. I’m delighted to welcome former Head of Harpeth Hall, Ann Teaff and her husband, Don McPherson, and current head of Harpeth Hall, Jess Hill and her husband Moe Hill, to North Cross and to Roanoke - it means the world to me to see you in the audience today. I have had the very best model for headship in Ann and Jess, as well as the best mentorship, and I am forever grateful to them.
To my children, Henry and James Stewart, and to my husband, Calvin Stewart, Thank you for fully supporting this brave adventure for our family, and for embracing North Cross and Roanoke as home. You are my brightest lights, and I love you dearly.
As many of you know, this weekend North Cross celebrates Homecoming, and what a homecoming it is for me and for our school. Home is a word that I hear often when speaking with students and with faculty. This school, this place, is a home. What a testament to the strength of this community - a community that draws students and families from across the Roanoke Valley and from across the world - that we use a word like home to describe our relationship to it.
When interviewing last spring for the Head of School position, the very first question a search consultant asked me was about coming home. “I’m sure you know the old saying, “You can’t go home again,” he said. And how might you respond to that?
I had to smile for a couple of reasons – 1) because not only did I know the phrase but also its author – I had spent the better part of graduate school reading and writing about why Thomas Wolfe couldn’t go home again, and 2) because North Cross was in my bones. It’s a place I carry with me, along with these mountains that surround our campus and our city. Home is in here (my heart), and in that way I never left it. As much as I value place – and how grateful I am for the beautiful spaces on our campus today – it’s the lessons I learned in this place that stayed with me, and – dear students – that will stay with you, too.
And it is for this reason. I believe that the gift of a North Cross education is how to live in this world. I see it in our youngest students who every day practice and model for all of us the importance of play; in our middle school students who are curious and not afraid to try out new paths and possibilities; in our Upper School students who are practicing to be leaders in our local and global communities, and whose unabashed school spirit sets the tone for our entire community. We call it Raider Pride here – it is irrepressible – it is the reason my class of 1995 deposited a massive rock – The Spirit Rock - at the end of the football field 27 years ago. Raider Pride is love of this community –our home – and an acknowledgement that we are also part of a legacy, something much bigger than ourselves.
Connected to this idea is our school motto, Veritas Vincit, which translates as Truth Triumphs. The North Cross honor code certainly teaches us how to live truthfully in this world. However, I would also argue that an equally powerful and apt way of understanding our motto is to practice being authentic to one’s self. Authenticity takes a kind of courage; a kind of vulnerability; it is leaning into and living out what is true for you.
Author Brene Brown has this to say about the relationship between vulnerability and courage: “I always ask a very simple question to people. I just say, think of the last time you did something that you thought was really brave or the last time you saw someone do something really brave. And I can tell you as a researcher - 11, 000 pieces of data – I cannot find a single example of courage, moral courage, spiritual courage, leadership courage, relational courage, I cannot find a single example of courage that was not born completely of vulnerability.”
Our mission at North Cross calls on us to be persons of intellectual and moral courage, and not just here, but for a lifetime. The world needs more people in it like this. Students, what does this look like in practice? To be true to yourself, to be vulnerable?
You are doing it every day here – by being curious, by asking questions, by being genuine with each other, by being willing to experience awe and wonder; by admitting when you don’t have all the answers, by asking for help, by embracing complexity. By expressing joy and delight. By reflecting on what is true for you - less about what others think should be true.
My promise to you is to continue modeling for you that courage and vulnerability that I learned here years ago. We do this work together. This is hard work and it takes practice, but remember – our community is that place to practice. We are North Cross - a place that is in our bones, that is home.
Thank you.
My heart is full. I am humbled and honored and overjoyed to be leading North Cross at this exciting time in its history.
I would like to thank North Cross’s Board of Trustees for your belief in my leadership and for bestowing on me the honor of a lifetime – to return to my alma mater as its ninth Head of School. I am deeply grateful to our Board Chair, Sarah Boxley Beck, for her unwavering support and wisdom and for her steadfast devotion to North Cross.
I am so moved by the sentiments shared today. Vivian Pickerel and Ed Dickenson – my NCS journey comes full circle with the two of you. Willis Logan, longtime friend - thank you for your blessing and encouragement. Tim Fish, how can I possibly thank you adequately? You are a difference maker - an inspiration to me and to all of us in the independent school world. Thank you for your kind and generous words and for making two visits in one month to the Star City. It’s pretty fabulous, isn’t it?
I want to acknowledge my parents, Phil and Libba Lemon, who are here today, and who, many years ago, gave me the gift of a North Cross education. What a gift it has been. Thank you. My sister, Anne Lemon, Class of 1996, is also here today – thank you for your enduring support of me.
Thank you to the senior administrative leadership team and the faculty and staff for the warm and supportive welcome home. I feel fortunate every day that I get to work alongside each of you.
Jamie Lee, William Greer, Victor Lamas, Richard Rudolph, Marlo Pearson and members of the Leadership Team–Thank you for putting together this very special Investiture celebration for our entire community.
Thank you, students – your joy and creativity, your dedication and school spirit inspire me every single day. I absolutely love being your Head of School. I’m so proud of you all. A special thank you to our Student Council Association for your always impressive leadership and for greeting our guests this morning.
I’m honored and humbled that John Tucker and Bert Hudnall, two legendary former North Cross Heads of School, are here today with us. Both of you had a significant and lasting impact on my education and the education of hundreds of North Cross alumni. Thank you for being here and welcome back. My thanks as well to my former Head of School, David Dougherty, who has been cheering me on since I was a ninth grader here and whose encouragement I still value tremendously, and of course to Chris Proctor, for his generous support of me and for leaving North Cross the strong and thriving school that it is today.
To my North Cross teachers and coaches. You were giants to me when I was a student here, and you are still. Thank you for inspiring what has become my life’s work.
I want to welcome back my classmates from the Class of 1995, we were pretty awesome, weren’t we? It is so good to see many of you here today. Thank you, Caro Thomas Williams, for being our fearless class leader still and for your lifelong friendship.
Thank you to my dear friends and family who have made the trip to Roanoke today and to those joining us virtually. I’m delighted to welcome former Head of Harpeth Hall, Ann Teaff and her husband, Don McPherson, and current head of Harpeth Hall, Jess Hill and her husband Moe Hill, to North Cross and to Roanoke - it means the world to me to see you in the audience today. I have had the very best model for headship in Ann and Jess, as well as the best mentorship, and I am forever grateful to them.
To my children, Henry and James Stewart, and to my husband, Calvin Stewart, Thank you for fully supporting this brave adventure for our family, and for embracing North Cross and Roanoke as home. You are my brightest lights, and I love you dearly.
As many of you know, this weekend North Cross celebrates Homecoming, and what a homecoming it is for me and for our school. Home is a word that I hear often when speaking with students and with faculty. This school, this place, is a home. What a testament to the strength of this community - a community that draws students and families from across the Roanoke Valley and from across the world - that we use a word like home to describe our relationship to it.
When interviewing last spring for the Head of School position, the very first question a search consultant asked me was about coming home. “I’m sure you know the old saying, “You can’t go home again,” he said. And how might you respond to that?
I had to smile for a couple of reasons – 1) because not only did I know the phrase but also its author – I had spent the better part of graduate school reading and writing about why Thomas Wolfe couldn’t go home again, and 2) because North Cross was in my bones. It’s a place I carry with me, along with these mountains that surround our campus and our city. Home is in here (my heart), and in that way I never left it. As much as I value place – and how grateful I am for the beautiful spaces on our campus today – it’s the lessons I learned in this place that stayed with me, and – dear students – that will stay with you, too.
And it is for this reason. I believe that the gift of a North Cross education is how to live in this world. I see it in our youngest students who every day practice and model for all of us the importance of play; in our middle school students who are curious and not afraid to try out new paths and possibilities; in our Upper School students who are practicing to be leaders in our local and global communities, and whose unabashed school spirit sets the tone for our entire community. We call it Raider Pride here – it is irrepressible – it is the reason my class of 1995 deposited a massive rock – The Spirit Rock - at the end of the football field 27 years ago. Raider Pride is love of this community –our home – and an acknowledgement that we are also part of a legacy, something much bigger than ourselves.
Connected to this idea is our school motto, Veritas Vincit, which translates as Truth Triumphs. The North Cross honor code certainly teaches us how to live truthfully in this world. However, I would also argue that an equally powerful and apt way of understanding our motto is to practice being authentic to one’s self. Authenticity takes a kind of courage; a kind of vulnerability; it is leaning into and living out what is true for you.
Author Brene Brown has this to say about the relationship between vulnerability and courage: “I always ask a very simple question to people. I just say, think of the last time you did something that you thought was really brave or the last time you saw someone do something really brave. And I can tell you as a researcher - 11, 000 pieces of data – I cannot find a single example of courage, moral courage, spiritual courage, leadership courage, relational courage, I cannot find a single example of courage that was not born completely of vulnerability.”
Our mission at North Cross calls on us to be persons of intellectual and moral courage, and not just here, but for a lifetime. The world needs more people in it like this. Students, what does this look like in practice? To be true to yourself, to be vulnerable?
You are doing it every day here – by being curious, by asking questions, by being genuine with each other, by being willing to experience awe and wonder; by admitting when you don’t have all the answers, by asking for help, by embracing complexity. By expressing joy and delight. By reflecting on what is true for you - less about what others think should be true.
My promise to you is to continue modeling for you that courage and vulnerability that I learned here years ago. We do this work together. This is hard work and it takes practice, but remember – our community is that place to practice. We are North Cross - a place that is in our bones, that is home.
Thank you.
SUMMER 2022: A LETTER FROM NEW HEAD OF SCHOOL ARMISTEAD LEMON '95
7/1/2022
Dear North Cross Community,
It is with great joy that I write to you as North Cross’s new Head of School. Earlier this week my husband, Calvin, and our sons, Henry and James, made our official move from Nashville to Roanoke. As a Roanoke native and a North Cross alumna, I am deeply proud of our region and grateful for the tremendous education I received growing up here. To return to the Roanoke Valley and North Cross and to make this our home is a dream come true for us. We look forward to getting to know you as we become a part of this very special community.
Over the past school year, I have witnessed and celebrated from afar the significant accomplishments of North Cross students. Last fall my family and I huddled around our computer screen to stream the State Championship football game and support the Raiders. We’ve enjoyed videos from music concerts; followed along with the Sense of Place art project; witnessed North Cross’s spirit of service in numerous student-led initiatives; cheered on a stellar spring athletic season; and most recently delighted in seeing the Class of 2022 honored in a moving graduation ceremony.
In all of these moments and in my visits to campus, I have been struck by the high level of engagement of students, faculty, and staff. North Cross is thriving and mission-driven. There is joy and wonder in learning here, flourishing student leadership, and a commitment to academic excellence.
I am honored to lead North Cross in this next chapter. I look forward to working with you to forward the school’s strong mission and ensure its bright future. Until we see each other in August, I hope you all have a wonderful summer and enjoy time with your family and friends.
Warmest regards,
Armistead Lemon '95
Head of School
Dear North Cross Community,
It is with great joy that I write to you as North Cross’s new Head of School. Earlier this week my husband, Calvin, and our sons, Henry and James, made our official move from Nashville to Roanoke. As a Roanoke native and a North Cross alumna, I am deeply proud of our region and grateful for the tremendous education I received growing up here. To return to the Roanoke Valley and North Cross and to make this our home is a dream come true for us. We look forward to getting to know you as we become a part of this very special community.
Over the past school year, I have witnessed and celebrated from afar the significant accomplishments of North Cross students. Last fall my family and I huddled around our computer screen to stream the State Championship football game and support the Raiders. We’ve enjoyed videos from music concerts; followed along with the Sense of Place art project; witnessed North Cross’s spirit of service in numerous student-led initiatives; cheered on a stellar spring athletic season; and most recently delighted in seeing the Class of 2022 honored in a moving graduation ceremony.
In all of these moments and in my visits to campus, I have been struck by the high level of engagement of students, faculty, and staff. North Cross is thriving and mission-driven. There is joy and wonder in learning here, flourishing student leadership, and a commitment to academic excellence.
I am honored to lead North Cross in this next chapter. I look forward to working with you to forward the school’s strong mission and ensure its bright future. Until we see each other in August, I hope you all have a wonderful summer and enjoy time with your family and friends.
Warmest regards,
Armistead Lemon '95
Head of School
SPRING 2022: A LETTER FROM INCOMING HEAD OF SCHOOL ARMISTEAD LEMON '95
SPRING 2022
Dear North Cross Community,
I am delighted and deeply honored to serve as your next Head of School. North Cross is a place I hold dear for the outstanding opportunities it provided me as a student and an alumna; it shaped me in the very best ways and launched me on my leadership path. My gratitude for the faculty, coaches, administrators, families, and trustees who understand how special North Cross is and have supported its mission across decades and generations knows no bounds. It is with humility and a sense of purpose that I accept the tremendous responsibility to carry the mission forward.
Over the last decade, I have watched with great admiration as Dr. Proctor has led North Cross. Visiting campus allowed me the opportunity to marvel firsthand at the strategic enhancements to campus, to witness CrossWalk in action, and to learn more about the expanded global programming. North Cross's future is so bright. It's also clear that at its core, North Cross remains unchanged in the best ways. It is a place for students that instills a sense of honor; develops leaders in the academics, the arts, and athletics; nurtures a sense of wonder; and expands horizons. Strong faculty-student relationships remain at the heart of it all.
Thank you for warmly welcoming me and my husband, Calvin Stewart, to campus during our visit. Your insightful questions and comments provided a window into a wonderful community, and our family is humbled and honored to be joining you. Thank you to Sarah Boxley Beck and the Search Committee for your care, thoughtfulness, and generosity throughout the entire search process. It has been a joy getting to know you and witnessing your sincere dedication to the school.
North Cross's mission is as relevant today as ever. I look forward to returning to Roanoke and joining all of you in the important work of supporting our students on their journeys. May they become leaders in local and global communities, persons of intellectual and moral courage, and scholars in the service of others.
Warmest regards,
Armistead Lemon
Dear North Cross Community,
I am delighted and deeply honored to serve as your next Head of School. North Cross is a place I hold dear for the outstanding opportunities it provided me as a student and an alumna; it shaped me in the very best ways and launched me on my leadership path. My gratitude for the faculty, coaches, administrators, families, and trustees who understand how special North Cross is and have supported its mission across decades and generations knows no bounds. It is with humility and a sense of purpose that I accept the tremendous responsibility to carry the mission forward.
Over the last decade, I have watched with great admiration as Dr. Proctor has led North Cross. Visiting campus allowed me the opportunity to marvel firsthand at the strategic enhancements to campus, to witness CrossWalk in action, and to learn more about the expanded global programming. North Cross's future is so bright. It's also clear that at its core, North Cross remains unchanged in the best ways. It is a place for students that instills a sense of honor; develops leaders in the academics, the arts, and athletics; nurtures a sense of wonder; and expands horizons. Strong faculty-student relationships remain at the heart of it all.
Thank you for warmly welcoming me and my husband, Calvin Stewart, to campus during our visit. Your insightful questions and comments provided a window into a wonderful community, and our family is humbled and honored to be joining you. Thank you to Sarah Boxley Beck and the Search Committee for your care, thoughtfulness, and generosity throughout the entire search process. It has been a joy getting to know you and witnessing your sincere dedication to the school.
North Cross's mission is as relevant today as ever. I look forward to returning to Roanoke and joining all of you in the important work of supporting our students on their journeys. May they become leaders in local and global communities, persons of intellectual and moral courage, and scholars in the service of others.
Warmest regards,
Armistead Lemon
BOARD WELCOMES NEW HEAD OF SCHOOL ARMISTEAD LEMON '95
7/1/2022
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I am delighted to welcome Armistead Lemon ’95 to Roanoke to serve as our next Head of School. Armistead and her family arrived in Roanoke on June 26, where they are settling into their new home and excited to begin their life here. Armistead and Calvin are eager for their sons to enroll as students in first and third grades this fall, and I know the Lower School faculty looks forward to having them in Ellis Hall.
The North Cross mission statement includes the vision that, “our graduates will act as leaders in the local and global communities, persons of intellectual and moral courage, and scholars in the service of others.” Armistead has exhibited these characteristics of a North Cross alumna, and we feel confident that she will continue to lift up our faculty and students to achieve this goal. After her interview on campus in September 2021, one comment about Armistead said she “clearly has a deep love and respect of both education and particularly of NCS as her alma mater…Her call to research-driven ideas and actively learning more about varying approaches is also refreshing. I believe she is poised to bring fresh ideas and a renewed sense of forward motion to our community.” Of this we have no doubt.
Armistead has been working with Senior Staff and the Transition Committee over the past nine months to ensure a smooth start, and she is ready to finally begin her tenure as Head of School. Thank you to all Raiders who have helped to embrace Armistead, Calvin, Henry, and James in Roanoke and our school community. We look forward to opportunities around the start of school to formally welcome them to North Cross.
With warm regards,
Sarah Boxley Beck '98, Chair
North Cross Board of Trustees
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I am delighted to welcome Armistead Lemon ’95 to Roanoke to serve as our next Head of School. Armistead and her family arrived in Roanoke on June 26, where they are settling into their new home and excited to begin their life here. Armistead and Calvin are eager for their sons to enroll as students in first and third grades this fall, and I know the Lower School faculty looks forward to having them in Ellis Hall.
The North Cross mission statement includes the vision that, “our graduates will act as leaders in the local and global communities, persons of intellectual and moral courage, and scholars in the service of others.” Armistead has exhibited these characteristics of a North Cross alumna, and we feel confident that she will continue to lift up our faculty and students to achieve this goal. After her interview on campus in September 2021, one comment about Armistead said she “clearly has a deep love and respect of both education and particularly of NCS as her alma mater…Her call to research-driven ideas and actively learning more about varying approaches is also refreshing. I believe she is poised to bring fresh ideas and a renewed sense of forward motion to our community.” Of this we have no doubt.
Armistead has been working with Senior Staff and the Transition Committee over the past nine months to ensure a smooth start, and she is ready to finally begin her tenure as Head of School. Thank you to all Raiders who have helped to embrace Armistead, Calvin, Henry, and James in Roanoke and our school community. We look forward to opportunities around the start of school to formally welcome them to North Cross.
With warm regards,
Sarah Boxley Beck '98, Chair
North Cross Board of Trustees
ARMISTEAD LEMON '95 NAMED HEAD OF SCHOOL
9/17/2021
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, it is my great pleasure to announce that Elizabeth Armistead Lemon '95 has been appointed the Head of School, effective July 1, 2022. Armistead is the ninth Head of School at North Cross, and notably the first woman and our first alumna to serve in the position. The Board's unanimous decision to select Armistead followed the enthusiastic and unanimous recommendation of the Search Committee.
Our next Head of School comes to us from Harpeth Hall in Nashville, where she has been the Director of the Upper School since 2017. Prior to serving as Upper School Director, Armistead was the English Department Chair and an esteemed teacher, winning the prestigious Heath Jones Prize for Teaching in 2010. Armistead graduated from North Cross in 1995. She then earned her B.A. in English Literature from Washington & Lee University and her M.A. in English Literature from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Armistead succeeds Chris Proctor, who skillfully led the North Cross community for 11 years. Chris, the senior staff team, and all faculty will work closely with Armistead in the months ahead to ensure a seamless transition of leadership.
We are also pleased to welcome Armistead's family - husband, Calvin Stewart, and sons Henry (7) and James (5). We look forward to this vibrant family settling in on our campus and making it home.
Armistead was selected from a deep and diverse pool of candidates following a comprehensive national search led by the highly regarded independent schools consultant firm, The Education Group. The Search Committee, composed of trustees, past and current parents, and alumni, deserves our deepest thanks for working so diligently to help us successfully complete the selection of the next Head of School. We are grateful for their tireless effort as well as the support of the entire North Cross community throughout this process.
Please join me in welcoming Armistead, Calvin, Henry, and James home to North Cross and to Roanoke. We are simply delighted that they are joining our North Cross family.
With gratitude,
Sarah Boxley Beck ’98
Search Committee Chair
Chair, Board of Trustees
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, it is my great pleasure to announce that Elizabeth Armistead Lemon '95 has been appointed the Head of School, effective July 1, 2022. Armistead is the ninth Head of School at North Cross, and notably the first woman and our first alumna to serve in the position. The Board's unanimous decision to select Armistead followed the enthusiastic and unanimous recommendation of the Search Committee.
Our next Head of School comes to us from Harpeth Hall in Nashville, where she has been the Director of the Upper School since 2017. Prior to serving as Upper School Director, Armistead was the English Department Chair and an esteemed teacher, winning the prestigious Heath Jones Prize for Teaching in 2010. Armistead graduated from North Cross in 1995. She then earned her B.A. in English Literature from Washington & Lee University and her M.A. in English Literature from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Armistead succeeds Chris Proctor, who skillfully led the North Cross community for 11 years. Chris, the senior staff team, and all faculty will work closely with Armistead in the months ahead to ensure a seamless transition of leadership.
We are also pleased to welcome Armistead's family - husband, Calvin Stewart, and sons Henry (7) and James (5). We look forward to this vibrant family settling in on our campus and making it home.
Armistead was selected from a deep and diverse pool of candidates following a comprehensive national search led by the highly regarded independent schools consultant firm, The Education Group. The Search Committee, composed of trustees, past and current parents, and alumni, deserves our deepest thanks for working so diligently to help us successfully complete the selection of the next Head of School. We are grateful for their tireless effort as well as the support of the entire North Cross community throughout this process.
Please join me in welcoming Armistead, Calvin, Henry, and James home to North Cross and to Roanoke. We are simply delighted that they are joining our North Cross family.
With gratitude,
Sarah Boxley Beck ’98
Search Committee Chair
Chair, Board of Trustees