Hawthorn Leadership School for Girls announces Robyn Viloria Wiens to serve as founding principal

Hawthorn scheduled to open in 2015; First single-sex charter school in St. Louis

Hawthorn Leadership School for Girls is excited to announce the selection of Robyn Viloria Wiens, Ed.D., as the school’s founding principal.

Dr. Wiens will serve as the school’s chief academic officer, overseeing the recruitment and support of faculty, development of a rigorous and innovative college-prep curriculum, implementation of a responsive student assessment program, and the creation of an individualized college counseling department.  She will also be responsible for recruiting students and for establishing the school’s Daily Advisory program which addresses the unique needs of urban adolescent girls.

Hawthorn will open its doors in 2015 with a sixth and seventh grade and will be St. Louis’s first single-sex charter school.  Hawthorn will add a class each year, ultimately serving 500 girls in grades 6 through 12 by 2020. Hawthorn’s curriculum will focus on STEM – science, technology, engineering and math. The school has yet to identify a location.

Founded by Mary Danforth Stillman, Hawthorn is an affiliate of the Young Women’s Leadership Network, a high-performing network of all-girls’ public schools. Washington University is Hawthorn’s charter sponsor.  

“All of us on Hawthorn’s Board are confident that Dr. Wiens is just the right leader for this high-quality new school,” Stillman said. “In Robyn, we have found a capable, experienced and energetic principal who is committed to excellence. In addition to her impressive academic and leadership qualities, Robyn is personable and level-headed. Our faculty and students will flourish under her guidance and I am confident that she will set our students up for long-term success.”

An experienced urban educator, Dr. Wiens is currently the Director of Curriculum and Culture at Preclarus Mastery Academy, a St. Louis charter school for students in grades five through eight.

Dr. Wiens has worked in teaching and leadership positions at traditional and charter public schools in Seattle and Boston. She earned her Doctorate of Education at the University of Washington, her Master of Education at Harvard University, and her Bachelor of Arts at Drake University. She is originally from St. Louis and attended Ladue Horton Watkins High School. Robyn and her husband Grant live in University City with their two young daughters.

“It is an honor to be chosen to help the Board build Hawthorn into the type of successful, high-quality educational option that families in St. Louis City deserve for their girls,” Wiens said.

“I am excited to create a distinctive STEM-focused learning experience for our young women. This is just the beginning of an amazing journey that’s going to change the way we prepare girls for college and careers, especially in science, technology, engineering, and math.”

To learn more about Hawthorn, visit www.hawthornschool.org.