Mrs. Jessica Raba ’98
LuHi Role: Assistant Head of School | Principal; joined the LuHi staff in 2017. Previous roles include Principal (2018-2022) and Director of Teaching and Learning (2017-2018)
Education: Valparaiso University (2002), BSEd in Elementary Education with endorsements in Special Education and Reading; Fordham University (2005), MSEd in Literacy Education
What I love about my role: Having worked as a teacher, administrator, consultant, and non-profit executive, I can say with conviction that I am happiest and most fulfilled in my work when I can interact directly with the people whom I am honored to serve. At LuHi, as principal, I most enjoy my interactions with students, faculty, and families, for it is through those interactions that I am best able to see the impact of my work. I see it in the classroom, the halls, at special events, and even just in conversation. I appreciate being able to observe, ask questions, and work as a team to make LuHi the best that it can be for our students and am motivated as I consider my own daughters as future LuHi students.
Other Professional Experience: After college, I taught Middle School English at The Chapel School in Bronxville, NY, where I also completed by Master’s Degree. I then became part of the founding team of New Heights Academy Charter School in Upper Manhattan, where I taught Middle School English and Social Studies and later served as a Staff Developer, working mainly with our Social Studies and Languages Other Than English departments. After that, I served as a consultant for Authentic Education, where I worked with a variety of middle and high schools in the five boroughs as a part of the Department of Education’s Innovation Zone project. I then was tasked to co-lead Toledo Learn, a project with the K-12 Toledo Public School system. Over the years, I have continued to consult with schools and districts through Authentic Education and have worked in New York, New Hampshire, Maryland, and Connecticut through that organization, presenting at a variety of conferences nationally and internationally. In 2013, I assumed the role of Executive Director of the Lutheran School Association, supporting Lutheran schools (including LuHi) through advocacy at local and state levels and professional development and guidance for leaders of these schools. In 2017, I joined the faculty and staff of LuHi as Director of Teaching and Learning, and in 2018 became Principal. I feel that God led me back to LuHi after college and my earlier career provided me the opportunity to experience a variety of school and organizational settings.
Hobbies: Reading, learning calligraphy, and being outside (hiking/biking/kayaking/walking)
Family: I have been married to my husband Doug since 2007, and we have two daughters: Isabelle is 10 and in 45th grade and Eloise is 7 and in 2nd grade. We have lived in New York City, Toledo, Ohio, and have been living on Long Island since returning from Ohio in 2013.
What I love about LuHi: It is difficult to encapsulate what I most love about working at LuHi, as there is so much to love. I can distill it down to one key theme: growth. I am fascinated by the ways that experiences and interactions, woven with our God-given talents and gifts, shape humans and contribute to growth in all forms. LuHi’s focus on body, mind, and spirit demands that we think broadly about human growth. I love that we see our students as individual gifts from God and recognize that each experience and interaction shapes the individual. Couple this with our desire to be in community with one another and I find that we are uniquely poised to support students (as well as the faculty, staff, and families) in both growing personally and growing as a community. It’s incredible to consider our community as a tapestry of sorts where our individual contributions and interactions can strengthen the whole.