An Important
Note from
Rev. Megan Hollaway
Rev. Megan Hollaway
Chaplain
Dear students, teachers, parents and caregivers,
I cannot come close to describing how much this place and the people in it have given me for the past thirteen years. I have—hands down—the best job at the school. I get to listen deeply to people’s most pressing questions and matters of the heart; I get to make up traditions, both serious and silly; I get to stand up and tell stories that mostly people seem to like; I get to proclaim boldly what is good and beautiful in the people around me and no one thinks it’s weird; I get to share what’s best about my tradition and, in turn, people share with me what is best about their tradition. It’s been blessing upon blessing.
I thought I was going to coast into old age and retirement doing exactly what I’ve been doing. So, it was quite a surprise to me to discover that this is not what the Almighty has in store. At the end of this year, I will be stepping down as Chaplain and stepping into a new, part-time role at the School. Dr. Rodgers calls it Senior Advisor, though I am trying to convince him to call it Campus Gardener.
Whatever we call it, this new role will allow me to give more (long overdue) attention to my family, and to pursue a calling that has been pressing in on me for some time: to become fully present to God and the people around me. Practically speaking, I’ll continue to advise the Service and Justice Program to help bring it into fruition. I’ll also be organizing Middle School Service and Justice opportunities. Our specific focus in the Middle School will be inviting students into right relationship with the land through direct, immersive experiences in nature, story, and the body.
Schools are pretty magical because there is no end to what you can learn, and so there’s no end to what you can teach. There’s a gratuitous quality to knowledge that comes directly from the character of the universe itself. The whole creation is given freely and free to be enjoyed. I’m curious to see what happens when we carve out a bit more time to let the earth—who gives so freely—be our teacher. That’s a bit different than thinking about the earth or about nature. It may sound a little woo, but I suspect it will sharpen our students’ thinking nonetheless.
I am incredibly grateful for both what has been and what lies ahead in this very sweet place. I’m grateful, most especially, for the students, faculty, and families who have shared their lives, talents, and energy to build this community, in ways known and unknown to me. In the coming days, I look forward to celebrating this chapter in my life and the life of the School. And I look forward to the year ahead.
Warmly and faithfully,
The Rev. Megan Hollaway
Chapel, 2022
The Rev at Baccalaureate, throughout the years
Beloved traditions at SLA: Blessing of the Animals, Founders Day, Convocation
Dr. Kenneth Rodgers, Jr.
President and Head of School
Dear all,
Before the Episcopal School of Los Angeles hosted its very first summer program, before it opened its doors as a full-time secondary school, long before it had any kind of footprint in Hollywood, the first employee the founder hired was the Reverend Megan Hollaway. It is safe to say that, since that moment, no one has played a larger role in shaping the life of our School.
Megan has guided this institution through many changes and remarkable growth, and the impact she’s had on the formation of the young people who have passed through and given life to our community cannot be measured. In the most fundamental ways—as someone who stewards the wellbeing and develops the virtues of our students—her presence on campus will remain the same. I’m excited for the role she’ll be stepping into; for years we’ve discussed how to integrate our Service and Justice programming into the Middle School. The grade-six students’ recent City Week experience with urban farming, the strawberries and fresh greens growing in the raised beds on East Campus—these serve as small previews of the ways Rev. Hollaway envisions an invitation into service through a study and convening with the earth.
In the tradition of great educators—this is one of the perks of working in an academic environment—the Rev is now doing that thing where you get to retire without really retiring, which means we get to celebrate everything she’s meant to this School without actually having to say farewell. We’ll be honoring Reverend Hollaway’s contributions to SLA, and marking her transition to a new role, at Baccalaureate on May 30—and she will be delivering her final sermon as Chaplain. We have a few things already planned, but what she really wants, you all know, is for us to sing our hearts out on the hymns. As she likes to remind us, “to sing is to pray twice.” So come ready.
To be sure, chapel will remain an integral part of our School’s identity and programming, and I’m very excited to announce that William Pearson—who has been deeply involved in the chaplaincy at SLA for many years—will be stepping into the role of Interim Lay Chaplain in the coming academic year. We’ll share further details and celebrate this transition, as well, in the coming weeks.
Sincerely,
Dr. Kenneth Rodgers, Jr.