Photo courtesy of Choate Flickr
Ms. Kalya Yannatos, who has directed Choate’s Arts Department for a decade, will be starting a new chapter of her career as a Development Officer at The Putney School in Vermont. Ms. Yannatos came to Choate in 2011 after having worked at Putney as the Arts Department Chair and the Director of Dance and Evening Activities.
During her time at Choate, Ms. Yannatos adopted a growth mindset, building upon the foundation that was laid before her. “I don’t think there is ever an arrival point with any of this work. There is always a need to keep your finger on the pulse of evolution and the student body,” said Ms. Yannatos.
With the goal of broadening the arts at Choate, Ms. Yannatos expanded the guest artist program, which features invited artists who explore the intersection of arts and other fields of study, such as history, physics, and language. “It has been very important to me that the Arts Center isn’t just this thing down the hill that’s thought of in its own little bubble, and that it connects to the community in ways that serve,” said Ms. Yannatos.
After ten years of hard work, Ms. Yannatos is proud of where the arts community on campus is now. She worked closely with all members in the Arts Department— from faculty members who have many years of experience to those who were newly hired — to ensure that the department catered to the needs of the student body and to the calls of the global community.
Reflecting on her experience working with Ms. Yannatos, dance teacher Ms. Pam Newell said, “She has exceedingly high standards and knows how to keep it real, keep it light, and enjoy the ride.” It is through this balance that Ms. Yannatos was able to lead the Arts Department in continuously growing into its most robust form.
Sabrina Carlier ’21, who has been one of Ms. Yannatos’s advisees for four years, described Ms. Yannatos as her first female role model in the arts. She said, “She was able to have such a strong position of leadership and mentorship, while being one of the kindest people.”
Every year, Ms. Yannatos welcomes the entire School to come to the Paul Mellon Arts Center (PMAC), telling them, in one way or another, “Please come inhabit it and own it; bring it to life.” She aimed to make the Arts department a place where all students, including those who may not identify as artists, can belong, contribute, and learn. Ms. Yannatos hoped that all artists on campus, both those who spend their afternoons rehearsing and creating and those who typically don’t, can continue to stay engaged in the arts. “It is just so critical,” she said, “that all people find their creative voice, whatever form that takes for them.”
As she prepares to return to Putney, Ms. Yannatos said that she is confident in the extraordinary people that make up the Arts department. She is leaving the School, she said, “for my own growth, but I also feel like it’s important for the growth for everybody around me to have a fresh voice and new energy to come and build upon the seeds I’ve sown.”
