Wichita Collegiate headmaster announces retirement

Tom Davis, the longtime headmaster at Wichita Collegiate, will retire at the end of the 2018-19 school year.

Davis, who has been headmaster since 2000, announced his retirement Wednesday before a meeting with faculty and staff. The board of trustees has known about Davis’ planned retirement for the past 18 months.

“He wanted to give the board a three-year transition period, allowing us ample time to recruit a new headmaster and ensure a smooth transition,” Shari Male Powers, who chairs the Collegiate board of trustees, said in a prepared statement. “We appreciate his dedication and fierce loyalty to this school and the entire Collegiate community.”

During Davis’ tenure as headmaster, Collegiate’s endowment has increased more than sevenfold to $8.5 million. Another $16 million has been raised in capital campaigns. The school also provided a one-to-one laptop initiative enabling every student from first through twelfth grade to have a laptop or iPad for their personal learning.

This story was originally published November 1, 2017 at 6:06 PM with the headline "Wichita Collegiate headmaster announces retirement."