Dear ACA Community,
We have some exciting news to announce regarding ACA’s organizational structure and leadership!
As you likely remember, ACA announced in August a search for an executive director to helm the school’s non-academic operations, and we have been actively searching for that leader. While we continue to wait on God’s timing, we have also moved to revive the strategic growth plans for upper school (Logic and Rhetoric) that were in the beginning stages of implementation when the pandemic hit. Those plans include a greater investment in curriculum development and full review of course offerings ; continued and greater exploration of partnerships with area schools’ sports teams to offer more opportunities for students ; strategic scheduling for upper-schoolers to make such participation possible; the soft launch of our new House System; and more.
As we explored what’s possible for ACA’s 6-12 program, it became clear that the upper school needs dedicated leadership to build the program, support and mentor upper-school teachers, attract and retain students, and implement the expansion of the Logic and Rhetoric programs.
To that end, we’re delighted to announce that, effective at the end of this academic year, Nate Ahern will shift from his head of school role to become ACA’s upper-school principal. Given Mr. Ahern’s incredible success in leading ACA the last eight years, we believe he’s the ideal person to further develop our upper-school program and ensure our students receive the full richness of the Trivium.
In his tenure at ACA, Mr. Ahern has cast a beautiful and compelling vision for classical, Christian education and guided teachers and staff as they implement that vision daily. Under his leadership, ACA’s enrollment has grown nearly fivefold while every year the academic program has grown in richness and depth. Mr. Ahern has built a talented faculty corps and has taught a range of classes himself, while also handling the wide range of tasks that come with the daily operation of a school. We are grateful for his leadership and dedication to success. Without his efforts we would not be prepared for our next stage of growth in the life of our school.
Along with the shift in Mr. Ahern’s role, we are equally thrilled to announce that Bridget Dornbirer will become our Grammar School principal leading all K-5 programs. Mrs. Dornbirer arrived at ACA this year as the academic dean bearing invaluable experience in both business and education, having founded the Denver-area Classical Conversations program. She’s been a bright light in our community and an incredible gift to ACA’s faculty and students.
God has brought together a great team to lead ACA. With these new roles in place, ACA is now better poised than ever to continue our search for an executive leader. In the meantime, Mr. Ahern will continue to support all programs through the end of the year while the board will provide some additional operational support.
One more note: Mr. Ahern is a beloved and valuable presence at ACA, and he won’t be absent from Grammar school students’ lives. We look forward to shared leadership between Mrs. Dornbirer and Mr. Ahern on K-12 events, and our Grammar students can look forward to Mr. Ahern leading the occasional chapel and participating in other activities. We believe this partnership will foster the strong “throughline” that is a hallmark of classical, Christian education.
We continue to be stunned by the remarkable gifts that God has given to our school and we invite you to join us in celebrating these momentous transitions for our school - transitions that position ACA to continue pursuit of God’s redemptive work in our city for years to come.
All glory be to Christ!
The ACA Board of Directors