Lauren T. Ray, 33
Head of School, St. James Episcopal Day School
In its 65-year history, St. James Episcopal Day School has never had a younger leader than Lauren T. Ray, who was appointed to the position in 2015. Under her leadership, St. James was named a National Blue Ribbon School for just the second time in 2015, the same year Ray instituted the school’s first internal teacher leadership structure. Ray’s connections to St. James run deep. She and her husband, who have three children, have been members for 10 years and they were married there in 2007. Ray is a member of the Associate Vestry of St. James Church, The St. James Youth Council, the National Association of Independent School New Heads and the National Association of Elementary School Principals. She considers her greatest achievement to be maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
NAME THREE MAJOR PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
- I was named a Rookie Teacher of the Year in my first year teaching in East Baton Rouge Parish.
- I lead a professional development initiative to train teachers in Whole Brain Teaching, a project that I am sure impacted the lives of many teachers and students.
- In 2015, after taking over as Head of School for St. James, I instituted our first internal teacher leadership structure. Our Instructional Leadership Team is comprised of representatives from a cross section of our school and focuses on all things having to do with teaching and learning, some policies, new initiatives, and school-wide events. I saw a need for teacher input, accountability, and buy-in, sold the idea to our faculty, and proudly lead this team as we work to do what is best for our St. James families.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR VOLUNTEER & COMMUNITY AFFILIATIONS AND INVOLVEMENT.
Member of the Associate Vestry of St. James Church; The St. James Youth Council; National Association of Independent School New Heads; National Association of Elementary School Principals.
NAME ONE BOOK THAT HAS INSPIRED YOU PROFESSIONALLY.
Mindset by Carol Dweck.
WHEN YOU WERE A CHILD, WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP?
An astronaut! I went to space camp twice and am a bit of a space nerd.
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB, HOW OLD WERE YOU AND WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM IT?
I started teaching dance in high school. I always loved working with children and teaching dance confirmed that for me. Since then, almost every job I have ever had involved working with children. When I was little, and did something good or made a good grade, my mom would reward me with a trip to see the babies in the nursery at Woman’s Hospital. I have always loved babies and children!
WHAT IS THE STRANGEST JOB YOU’VE EVER HAD?
In college, I was a weight loss consultant at a local weigh loss center.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE FOR A BUSINESS LUNCH IN BATON ROUGE, AND WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DISH THERE?
I usually eat in our school cafeteria, which rocks, by the way! When I’m not dining at St. James, I love a good sensation salad at the City Club.
WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT?
Maintaining a healthy work/life balance with my husband, Ray, and kids. Finding time for us to do things as a family, or just to do things together as a couple, is a priority for me. I wouldn’t say I’ve achieved it … but we work on it daily.
HOW DO YOU GET PUMPED UP BEFORE A BIG MEETING, PRESENTATION OR PITCH?
I try not to over prepare. If I rehearse or review too much, I get nervous. Sometimes I will crank up the music in my office to distract me from overthinking.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST FULFILLING MOMENT IN YOUR CAREER SO FAR?
Designing an internal leadership structure within our school and leading my amazing staff each day. They are so dedicated to their profession and are 100% committed to the mission of St. James Day School. I am honored to be a part of such an incredible faculty.
WHAT WAS YOUR PROFESSIONAL “AHA MOMENT?”
I realized very early on that I shouldn’t work alone. By creating a leadership structure within our school more ideas would be shared and a more diverse problem solving network would be nourished.
WHAT IS YOUR BEST PRODUCTIVITY HACK?
I use the split screen feature on my Mac to multi task. I also love audiobooks.
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED THE HARD WAY?
Not to fret about things. Most of the time, the worrying is for naught … things usually work out just the way they are supposed to.
WHAT ABOUT YOUR JOB WOULD SHOCK CUSTOMERS OR CLIENTS IF THEY KNEW ABOUT IT?
In any given day I may clean up vomit, write a grant, check for lice, model a math lesson, work to align curriculum, deal with overflowing toilets, balance the budget and direct spending, and pull weeds on the playground. There are many, many hats involved with my job.
HOW DO YOU TYPICALLY DRESS FOR WORK—CASUAL? PROFESSIONAL? BUSINESS CASUAL? OTHER?
I try to dress in a professional manner every day, knowing that at any given time a child, covered in mashed potatoes, spaghetti, or paint may need a hug.
WHAT PART OF YOUR JOB DO YOU LOVE? WHAT PART DO YOU HATE?
I truly love to greet the children in the morning. It is the highlight of my day. I do not love suffering the crazy south Louisiana weather at carpool each day while wearing a business suit and heels … but I feel like it is important aspect of my job.
WHAT IS THE BEST COMPLIMENT YOU’VE EVER GOTTEN FROM A COLLEAGUE OR BOSS?
Dot Rumfellow, former principal, assistant head of school,and my mentor/cheerleader, told me that in all her years working with new principals, she felt the most confident in my abilities. I think about that almost every single day and I really work to make her proud. Every time we talk, she tells me how proud she is. I love her for that and for her great pep talks!
MAC OR PC?
Mac all the way.
ARE YOU ACTIVE ON SOCIAL MEDIA? IF SO, ON WHICH PLATFORMS ARE YOU MOST ACTIVE?
I am an active Facebook user and I really love the way it brings our St. James community together. I use LinkedIn, Twitter (albeit not very much), and Instagram. I am also a total Pinterest junkie. We have an outstanding professional learning community on there where teachers share ideas and information. It is incredible the way social media has transformed the educational community. Also, it is the best way to get teachers to read articles!
HOW MANY TEXTS DO YOU SEND ON AN AVERAGE DAY? HOW MANY EMAILS?
About 20 texts and about 30 emails a day, depending on the day, perhaps many more.
HOW LOW WILL YOU ALLOW YOUR REMAINING PHONE OR COMPUTER BATTERY LIFE GET IN % BEFORE YOU HAVE AN ANXIETY ATTACK?
Our IT guy is always chasing after me with a cord … I will really push it. It’s almost like a game of “how low can we go?”
HOW MANY UNREAD MESSAGES ARE IN YOUR INBOX RIGHT NOW?
I cannot stand having unread messages. As soon as I see that little red dot, I have to check it. Unread notifications give me a panic attack. I know some people who have thousands of unread messages. I don’t know how they sleep at night.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE APP AT THE MOMENT?
I love learning new things and taking courses on random things. I am in love with the lynda.com app. The app offers courses on everything from management strategies to learning how to use PhotoShop. It is pretty amazing.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT OF THE PAST DECADE?
I love the access to instructional videos that we have today. I learn so much from YouTube!
WHAT TECHNOLOGY DO YOU WISH WAS NEVER INVENTED?
The snooze button.
WHAT TIME DO YOU GET UP ON WORKDAY MORNINGS?
5:45 a.m.
BREAKFAST AT HOME? BREAKFAST ON THE GO? BREAKFAST AT YOUR DESK? NO BREAKFAST AT ALL?
Usually no breakfast.
THE SAYING GOES: “BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD.” SPECIFICALLY, WHAT ARE YOU “BEING” TO MAKE BATON ROUGE BETTER?
I try to be open, positive, and friendly to everyone … especially those who are grumpy or a tad impolite. There is usually a reason and often a simple smile is enough to disarm them and turn them into a friend.
WHEN DID YOU REALIZE YOU WERE “GROWN UP”?
When they handed me a little bundle of joy in the hospital. I remember thinking, “You are going to let me take this baby home?”
WHAT WAS THE BEST VACATION YOU HAVE EVER TAKEN?
My husband and I went on the most amazing trip to Italy for our honeymoon.
FAVORITE GIFT YOU WERE GIVEN AS A CHILD?
Santa brought me the Princess Diana and Prince Charles Barbie doll set.
WHICH TALENT OR SUPERPOWER WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO HAVE AND WHY?
I wish I could play an instrument. I blame my parents for not forcing me to stick with piano as a child!
WHAT’S A NICKNAME YOUR FRIENDS OR FAMILY MEMBERS HAVE FOR YOU?
Everyone calls me LaLa.
WHAT ARE YOU SUPERSTITIOUS ABOUT?
I’m not really superstitious, but I do knock on wood from time to time.
WHO FASCINATES YOU?
Children … they are so perceptive and creative. The things kids will come up with are incredible.
FAVORITE DRINK?
Pinot Noir.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BAND OR SONG?
I love Janis Joplin … “Me and Bobby Magee” is my all time favorite song.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE?
Amelie.
WHO WOULD PLAY YOU IN A MOVIE?
Oh goodness … no clue. Someone short.
WHAT SCARED YOU AS A CHILD, AND WHAT SCARES YOU NOW?
Ghosts and ghosts. I can’t even talk about it really.
IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR 18-YEAR-OLD SELF?
I would tell me to start saving money ASAP. Saving is hard when you get real bills. Also, that one day, sister, you will have wrinkles … put on the sunscreen every day!
PETS?
We have a cat. I’m pretty sure she was sent to punish me for some horrible thing I have done. She is kind of insane.
TELL US ABOUT A MOMENT THAT CHANGED YOUR LIFE.
Having kids. It humbles you, makes you appreciate your own parents, and in my case, made me a better teacher and head of school. You realize that even if you feel like you are doing everything right, you read all the right books, buy all the right gear, talk to all the right people, you are still just figure it out as you go along.
WHAT’S THE NEXT BIG PERSONAL OR CAREER CHALLENGE YOU PLAN TO TAKE ON?
I want to learn more and do more with fund raising and increasing our Annual Fund Campaign participation.
WHAT CONCERNS YOU MOST ABOUT THE FUTURE?
I think it is the challenge of parents and educators to find a healthy balance with respect to technology. We have to model appropriate usage for our children so that they grow to be socially adept and productive members of society. The fight against instant gratification is up there, too. Knowledge and access to information is literally at our finger tips … perseverance, creative problem solving, and work ethic is becoming more and more difficult for children.
WHAT GIVES YOU THE MOST HOPE ABOUT THE FUTURE?
The purity and goodness in the hearts of all children.
WHAT WOULD BE YOUR ADVICE FOR FUTURE FORTY UNDER 40 HONOREES?
Know your strengths and capitalize on them. Don’t worry so much about what you aren’t good at, surround yourself with people who can fill those roles and provide you with support in those areas. The idea that we all need to be perfectly well rounded and good in all areas is silly. You are who you are … work your strengths.
DO YOU PLAN TO BE IN THE CAPITAL REGION FIVE YEARS FROM NOW? WHY OR WHY NOT?
I sure hope so.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST HOPE FOR BATON ROUGE?
I am a huge supporter of our downtown area. I try to attend all of the Downtown Development District meetings and I am so encouraged by what I hear. My hope for Baton Rouge is to develop an even more vibrant and active downtown.
DO YOU HAVE A BUCKET LIST? IF SO, WHAT ARE THE TOP 3 THINGS ON IT?
- Take a woodworking class (I want to build things!).
- Visit Hawaii.
- Go to New York at Christmas.
