A Letter From Chelle Wabrek

Since September 2025, I’ve had the privilege of getting to know this remarkable school through incredibly thoughtful and comprehensive visits. Days of meaningful conversations with board members, school leadership, students, teachers and staff, current and past parents, and alumni allow me to understand not just what MICDS does, but who MICDS is.

I have already learned much from both formal meetings and from unexpected encounters. Without fail, the people I meet share unprompted stories about their deep love for this school. That passion, consistent across generations and completely unfiltered, confirms what I discovered through my early campus visits. Intellectual curiosity and analytical depth are the hallmarks of genuine scholarship, and it’s the thread I see woven through every conversation I have at MICDS.

What drew me most powerfully to MICDS is the alignment between the school’s mission and my own deep-seated beliefs about learning. Students thrive in educational communities where academic excellence and character development are inseparable. I’ve spent 30 years working in schools that prepare students not just for college, but for lives of purpose and contribution. MICDS teachers inspire deep thinking, and families are genuinely invested partners. This combination creates an ecosystem for students to approach learning with curiosity and joy. This is a community that understands preparing young people to lead courageously means nurturing both their minds and their core values. I’m honored to join this work.

Having raised three sons, now adults, I’ve entrusted my own children to educators who had profound impact on their lives—those who shaped not just their minds but helped them discover who they wanted to become. Schools play a unique role in young people’s lives, providing daily opportunities to navigate complex social dynamics, make ethical decisions, contribute to community, and discover their own values through both challenge and support. The best schools understand that academic learning happens alongside the development of character, empathy, and integrity. They create environments where students learn what it means to live in community with others: to listen across differences, to stand up for what’s right, to take responsibility for their choices.

My husband Chad and I have fallen in love with St. Louis—its cultural richness, its philanthropic legacy, its deep history, and most of all, its people. Everywhere we go—Sugarfire BBQ, the City Museum, searching for Cardinals gear—people eagerly share what they love about their city and provide ideas about where we should go next. That warmth and pride are infectious. St. Louis is a place where we are excited to put down roots and contribute meaningfully. I’m committed to investing myself fully in the MICDS community and excited to be working alongside all of you. I am deeply honored to serve as your Head of School.

With gratitude, and with Ram Pride,

Chelle Wabrek