World Languages Chair Kara Mertz has worn many hats since joining Fay in 2007, but her heart has always belonged to Fay’s sixth grade. Her journey at Fay began as a dorm parent to sixth and seventh grade boys in Steward, and over the years, sixth grade has become her home. “Even when they were the youngest in the Upper School, there was something special about the sixth graders,” Kara says. “They’re in that in-between phase—they still need and want support, but are also ready to spread their wings, take some risks, and explore a bit more independently.”

Kara has served as the sixth grade class dean, a 5-6 coach, and currently teaches sixth grade Spanish (as well as Spanish in grades three and five). She leads sixth grade class meetings and enjoys organizing the annual sixth grade leadership trip to Merrowvista in the fall.

Kara’s journey at Fay has been both professionally and personally fulfilling. Now in her eighth year as World Languages Department Chair, she continues to find ways to enrich the Fay program with her wide-ranging interests. An advocate for sustainability, she keeps bees and chickens at home and introduces Primary School students to beekeeping each spring, explaining the importance of bees to our environment. Last year, she supported sixth graders in founding a recycling club, collaborating with Lara Gleason to guide their initiatives. After a family trip across Mexico last summer in a converted van, she brought back fresh inspiration for her fourth graders by teaching a unit on lucha libre, the popular style of Mexican wrestling.

Kara’s family also has deep roots in the Fay community. Her daughters, Adalynne ’24 and Amaia ’26, started Fay in pre-K, and she had the momentous experience of presenting Ada (now a 10th grader at Groton School) with her diploma at graduation last spring. Reflecting on her time at Fay, Kara shares that it’s the balance of challenge and joy that keeps her excited to teach and lead here.

 

I knew I would be supporting my students as a teacher, but also as their coach, their advisor, and their dorm parent. The richness of that relationship wasn’t something I had in my own experience, and that human to human connection is something I really value. 

 

I was born in Mexico, but I didn’t grow up speaking Spanish, so for me, I had to practice and learn it. I took advantage of opportunities, and I want students to see me as an example. If learning and speaking Spanish is something that they’re interested in, and they have the willingness and the desire, they can build the confidence to do it as well. 

 

I feel so lucky to have the group of people that we do. We have a culture in our department where we’re extremely supportive. We have this camaraderie and sense of mutual respect that I feel is really foundational to education and working with children. And I feel like our emphasis on supporting our students has also translated into how we support one another.

 

It makes my heart swell to think about what they’ve had here. Fay really taught them to be independent and to stand up for something that’s important to them. I feel like they have been so supported by their teachers, they’ve learned self-advocacy, and opportunities like giving speeches starting in third grade just really helped their confidence. They’ve never felt like there was something they couldn’t do.