Leadership & Faculty Home / About Us / Leadership & Faculty Dedicated Leaders & Expert Teachers At our school, everyone works together to make sure students and families feel happy and supported. Our leaders, staff, and teachers are all here to help. Our teachers love sharing what they know, whether it’s about reading, music, or outer space! They make learning fun and exciting, helping students explore new things and find what they love. Through the Merryhill Method, we create a special place where students can grow and learn every day. From the Head of School Rachel Kennedy Dear Future Merryhill Family, Each year at graduation, I tell the story of a small, two-room wooden schoolhouse built in the late 1800s, constructed because families in this neighborhood couldn’t afford the streetcar fare to the other schools across town. That building is now our WASC-accredited K-8 Merryhil Midtown campus on V Street, listed on the historic registry, with a four-story bell tower, a design lab equipped with 3D printers and a full sound stage, two science labs, and an indoor gym. I continue telling that story because it’s a powerful reminder of what this school has always stood for: the belief that children in this community deserve the very best. That hasn’t changed. Our teachers are the foundation of this school, and the reason so much of what we do succeeds. Forty percent have been in classrooms for more than a decade, and last year, all but one returned. That kind of stability doesn’t happen by accident. Teachers set their own data-informed goals, maintain evidence portfolios, and regularly observe one another’s classrooms. In doing so, they create a culture of accountability and growth that goes far beyond what any top-down evaluation system can achieve. And when teachers genuinely love being here, children feel it. In the classroom, we treat Common Core as a floor, not a ceiling. It’s a foundation, not the finish line. Our teachers use what best serves students and move beyond what doesn’t; there’s no rigid “page one, day one” approach here. Math and science are intentionally integrated, and projects are designed to connect learning across disciplines. A third grader might run an open-air market, create a budget, write a commercial, and learn supply and demand by experiencing it firsthand. A fourth grader studying the Gold Rush may develop and pitch a business that could have succeeded in 1849, complete with a logo, green-screen commercial, and QR code linked to their presentation. By eighth grade, students are independently producing documentaries on the Civil Rights Movement. These aren’t enrichment add-ons. This is how we teach. One thing that genuinely surprises new families is how comfortable our kids are simply being themselves. We’re one of the most diverse private campuses in Sacramento, with a community that mirrors the broader region in ways that are uncommon among independent schools, and that sense of inclusion is something our students actively help sustain. Our older students take pride in mentoring younger ones, helping them feel welcomed, connected, and known from the very beginning. Your child won’t walk onto campus as a stranger on the first day, because we make sure meaningful relationships and familiar faces are already in place before school even starts. Our graduates are what we call “Merryhill Made”: students with the academic preparation to go anywhere, the character to do something meaningful when they get there, and the self-awareness to understand what truly matters to them. One of our alumni discovered a passion for storytelling through our M2News elective, carried that interest into high school, and eventually studied at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. Last spring, he returned to speak at graduation. That’s the kind of story I want for your child: not just a test score, but a genuine passion and sense of purpose they can carry with them long after they leave our school. I’d love to welcome you to campus so you can see it for yourself and experience what makes Merryhill Midtown such an exceptional place to learn and grow. You can reach me directly at rachel.kennedy@merryhillschool.com. Sincerely, Rachel Kennedy Head of School Merryhill School – Midtown Sacramento Read More Browse By Role All Roles Faculty Leadership Search Danika Wright Music Danika Wright Music Email Page 3 of 3 Jump to Page Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Learn More About Merryhill Midtown Teachers What makes teachers at Merryhill School Midtown exceptional? Our teachers combine strong instructional practices with genuine relationships with students—knowing them as individuals, recognizing their strengths and areas for growth, and working intentionally to help each child progress. They’re collaborative, committed to ongoing professional growth, and use student data to inform instruction and differentiate learning, creating classrooms where students feel known, supported, challenged, and encouraged to take ownership of their learning. What qualifications do Merryhill School Midtown teachers hold? Our teachers bring a range of educational backgrounds, credentials, degrees, and professional experience appropriate to the grade levels and subjects they teach. Beyond formal qualifications, we look for strong instructional skills, professionalism, a commitment to continuous learning, and a genuine passion for working with children. What is the student-to-teacher ratio at Merryhill School Midtown? Our average student-to-teacher ratio is approximately 16:1, allowing teachers to know their students well and provide meaningful individualized support. Larger primary classrooms include assistant teachers for additional support, and several teachers provide small-group enrichment throughout the day so students receive targeted instruction and stay appropriately engaged and challenged. How does Merryhill School Midtown support the professional growth of its teachers? We invest in ongoing professional development to help our teachers continually grow in their craft. This includes regular training on instructional best practices, opportunities to collaborate with colleagues and share expertise, and support for staying current on curriculum and teaching strategies. Do you have long-standing faculty and staff at Merryhill School Midtown? Yes. One of Merryhill Midtown’s strengths is the longevity of our faculty. Many team members have been part of the community for decades, bringing institutional knowledge and strong relationships with students and families. Our teacher retention rate is approximately 90% year to year, higher than the national average of 85% and California’s average of 86%. We also welcome new educators who bring fresh ideas and perspectives, creating a faculty that’s both experienced and continually growing.
