The head teacher of Bermuda High School for Girls will step down at the end of the 2022-23 academic year, it was announced today.

Linda Parker confirmed in a letter to parents that she would retire in July 2023 after a 40-year career in education and 16 years as the head of BHS.

Ms Parker said: “My time at BHS has been one of enormous professional and personal growth.

“I have been so fortunate to work with such passionate and talented faculty, staff and students, which is a privilege I will always cherish.

Ms Parker added: “Being the head of BHS for the past 16 years has been the highlight of my 40-year career in education.

“I consider everyone at BHS a part of my extended family and it is a school that I will always love dearly.”

Ms Parker spent 20 years in the public education system, at Whitney Institute and CedarBridge Academy, before she returned to BHS in 2003.

The school implemented three strategic plans and achieved several goals under her leadership.

These included international accreditations with the Council of International Schools and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

Ms Parker introduced the Early Years Programme for four-year-olds and developed a leadership programme for pupils.

The school also embarked on a successful $11 million fundraising campaign to build an innovation centre with state-of-the-art facilities.

Ms Parker said: “As the school continues to grow and evolve and as we embark on a new five-year strategic plan, this feels like the right time for me to begin the next phase of my life.

“I am proud to say that I have achieved all of my professional goals and it is now time for new challenges and experiences.

“This next chapter is unwritten but I am excited by the professional possibilities that lie ahead and the opportunity to devote more time to my family, particularly my grandchildren.

The chairwoman of the school’s board, Celia Powell, said: “It is with the deepest gratitude and appreciation for our head of school’s leadership, that the Board of Trustees has accepted Linda’s decision to retire.

“Linda has always led by example – putting BHS and its students first in everything she does.

“In my time as board chair, I have witnessed first-hand Linda’s hard work, her dedication to and deep caring for each student and her unwavering commitment to BHS.”

Ms Powell added: “Thanks to Linda’s involvement in developing the new strategic plan with her leadership team and the Board of Trustees, our next head of school will have a clear blueprint for the work that needs to be accomplished over the next few years.

“Linda’s influence will be felt at BHS for many years, and we wish her success and happiness in the next stages of her professional and personal life.”

The search for a new Head of School will begin early next year.

Applications will be invited from Bermuda and overseas.