Katie Dealy, Class of 1992, attended Falk from kindergarten through eighth grade and says the Falk community continues to feel like a family to her today. “I owe so much of my life—and certainly my career—to Falk,” Katie says. “I don’t think of it as my elementary school. It’s really intertwined with who I am and how I grew up, and I don’t think a week goes by where I don’t reference it.” 

After Falk, Katie attended Allderdice High School and received a B.A. in Government from Cornell University and an M.A. in International Educational Development from Columbia University. During her early career, she taught elementary special needs in Oakland, CA through Teach For America. After graduate school, she moved to Chicago, where she held positions as the founding COO of the University of Chicago TMW Center, as Chief of Staff to the CEO of Teach For America, and in early childhood policy. Most recently, Katie served as Director of Public Engagement for the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy. 

“I have spent my career working to ensure as many kids as possible could access opportunities like I had at Falk,” Katie reflects. “Regardless of income or neighborhood, every child should have every opportunity to thrive. They should be surrounded by people who push them to be their best and want to see their success.”

Thinking about her time as a Falk student, Katie states, “I mainly remember how fun learning was at Falk. Leslie Thyberg (the most incredible teacher) made units about civic engagement come to life through a simulation of a city and postal service. She taught me that the best learning environments were both welcoming and exhilarating.” 

“In middle school, we were assigned to write a research paper on Christopher Columbus as a hero, then another on Christopher Columbus as a villain, and a third that was up to us to construct. That was a pretty radical assignment in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s, and it made an impression: teachers trusted us to challenge assumptions and think for ourselves. And, we had to write!”

“What I learned was that high expectations were the best possible thing you could have for kids,” Katie says. “Treating young people with respect, believing in them to take on hard questions—that shaped my worldview. It set the standard for what I believe should be asked and expected of young people and what young people should have access to. And that conviction has really shaped my entire career.” 

“I remember the juxtaposition of Mr. John Wagner’s kindness and the brutal dodgeball games in his gym,” she adds. “I remember the very high standards Dr. Cathy O’Farrell had for us in her science classes and at McKeever. I remember loving the operettas—Dr. Donald Mushalko’s enthusiasm for Gilbert & Sullivan was contagious—and being nearly crushed by the awkwardness of the middle school dances.” 

Katie also remembers Falk as a place that excelled in joint attention, a concept talked about frequently in early childhood education. The idea is to intentionally shift and coordinate focus to match those around you—something that Falk teachers were skilled at. “Sensing he might be losing the attention of our class,” Katie says, “Mr. David Kramer once abandoned a social studies unit to go line by line through Billy Joel’s ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ to make sure we knew the historical importance of each reference. I still remember all the lyrics.” 

For Katie and many other alumni, Falk was also instrumental in building confidence and a sense of purpose in life. “There's something about the confidence that Falk helps young people build that people don’t get deterred,” she shares. “That confidence was so nurtured at Falk that when you come upon friction or doors that are shut, it doesn’t as easily shake your sense of self. It just becomes, alright, well it’s a different problem [now]. That is something that I really, really treasure and I wish more kids in this country could experience.” 

At Falk, Katie adds, “You weren’t aware that you were learning—you were just being. You weren’t aware that there were limits.” 

When Katie’s mother died over a decade ago, “it was former classmates and teachers from Falk who reached out and warmed my heart,” she says. Even 30 years after leaving the school, she still feels an “instantaneous family feeling” talking to members of the Falk community, whether they be former teachers, fellow alumni, or even parents of old classmates. 

“There’s an ability to pick right back up and have a shared set of values around how to show up in the world, how to be curious, how to ask questions, how to listen, and how to partner with others to try to make the world around you better,” Katie says. It’s how she built such a fast friendship with Falk alumnus David Greene, with whom she recently returned to Falk for a visit. The two were in town for the University of Pittsburgh’s Year of Discourse and Dialogue and led several sessions on authentic community and curiosity. 

Katie and David talking to middle school students in Falk Library

“Quite honestly,” Katie shares, “what a lot of schools think they’re doing, [they] really aren’t.” Looking at the most recent issue of En Avant, she says, it’s clear this isn’t the case with Falk. “[The magazine] does such a spectacular job of capturing the spirit of Falk,” which remains as strong as ever decades after Katie’s graduation. 

“Falk was magical for me,” she says. “Learning was fun. The kids were a riot and brilliant. The teachers respected the students and had high expectations for us all. I feel really grateful I had that experience.”