Westchester celebrates outgoing leader, welcomes interim head
Jul. 8—HIGH POINT — Westchester Country Day School recently celebrated the contributions of its longest-serving head of school, Cobb Atkinson, who is stepping down after 13 years of leadership, and welcomed Mary Keever, a longtime faculty member and administrator, into her new role as the interim head of school as of July 1.
The school held events for Atkinson and his family throughout the concluding months of the school year, including a dinner, reception, presentations at the school's end-of-year award ceremonies, and a "Mr. Atkinson Day," in which students in grades pre-K through 12 planned special activities for him throughout the day.
Atkinson came to Westchester from Georgia in 2010 after holding positions as head of school, academic dean, English department chair and teacher. Under his leadership, Westchester produced graduating classes with 100% college acceptance and millions of dollars in scholarship offers each year.
Emphasizing an each-child, every-day approach to learning, Atkinson led new technology initiatives, upgrades to the school's athletic and arts facilities, the celebration of the school's 50th anniversary, and the construction of the Wilson Student Center. He ushered the school through the COVID-19 pandemic, only closing the school buildings for remote learning during spring 2020 and reopening the following August. Over the course of 13 years, he oversaw three successful reaccreditation cycles with the Southern Association of Independent Schools.
"This school is extraordinary in so many ways, and it has been my greatest professional privilege to have served as the head of school for this long," Atkinson said in his final email message to parents and faculty. "My heart is full of many emotions right now, but gratitude is the most powerful one, along with a deep love for this place."
Keever, who has been at Westchester for 24 years, assumes leadership as interim head of school while the board of trustees conducts a search for the next head. She joined Westchester in 1999 as a language arts/literature teacher. She became head of middle school in 2012, a role she has served in through this year. She also coordinated the school's reaccreditation with SAIS in 2017. She has a bachelor of arts in English from Wofford College, a master of education in reading from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and certifications as an N.C. certified teacher of English and reading specialist and in secondary school education. She and her husband, Wes, are High Point residents. Their two children have attended Westchester from kindergarten — Dory, a 2021 graduate, and Abby, a rising senior.
