Mission & History

Our History

In March 1986 a small group of committed parents joined together with Isabelle S. Schuessler, former Head of St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School in D.C., to establish Washington Episcopal School. Under the inspired and visionary leadership of its Board Chair, Robert E. Freer, Mrs. Schuessler, along with Dorothy McSweeny and other founders, the school grew and prospered.

In the September of that same year, the school opened its doors to 90 students. The school was temporarily located in the basement of Pilgrim Lutheran Church on Massachusetts Avenue in Bethesda, Maryland. The school moved in 1987 to its present site in Bethesda−convenient to both Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia. Enrollment grew steadily and a Middle School (Grades 7 and 8) was added in 1995. The unique, exciting study trip program, which sends older students to Utah, Italy, France, and Spain, was developed as an important component of the academic program.

With increasing enrollment came the need for bigger and better facilities. After a successful Capital Campaign, WES completed a comprehensive building program that transformed the campus. New classrooms, art studios, computer rooms, science labs, gymnasiums, and a separate Middle School area were among the additions. Improvements were further enhanced by the acquisition of adjoining land in 2004-2005, thus setting the stage for future campus development.

In 2001, Stuart Work, former Middle School Director of the National Cathedral School, became the second head of school. He took over from Mrs. Schuessler when she completed her productive and inspiring fifteen-year tenure. During Mr. Work’s ten years at WES, an early childhood science center and ceramics center were added, Spanish was added to the curriculum and the first student exchange with a school in Granada, Spain occurred, and WES purchased the adjoining 5.5 acres of land. In the fall of 2010, Mr. Work announced his departure to be the head of school at St. Matthew’s Parish School in Pacific Palisades, CA.

Kirk Duncan was chosen to be the third WES head of school and began his tenure in the 2011-2012 school year. Mr. Duncan led the effort to transform the East Campus which featured the 260’ x 180’ artificial turf athletic field. Mr. Duncan departed WES in June 2014 to be the Carolina Day School’s Head of School located in Asheville, NC. Middle School Division Director Nancy Wright became WES’s Interim Head of School for the 2014-15 school year until the arrival of WES’s fourth Head of School, Danny Vogelman, in July 2015. Danny Vogelman joined WES from the Wilson County, NC, school systemwhere he served as the Assistant Superintendent. Prior to working in the Wilson County school system, he was the Principal of Westland Middle School which is located right down the street from WES.

WES's Founder Isabelle Schuessler (1934-2023)

Isabelle Schuessler founded WES in 1986 after a 24-year career as an early childhood teacher, administrator, and Head of School at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School in Washington, D.C. It is hard to convey the dynamism and dedication she brought to creating WES — particularly its ethos and curriculum, designed to empower every student with confidence, kindness, and values.

Born Isabelle Sweeny on May 12, 1934, in Washington, D.C., she earned her B.A. in Elementary Education at George Washington University in 1962, and would later obtain a Masters in Teaching Foreign Languages in Elementary School at the University of Maryland. She started her teaching career at St. Patrick’s in 1962 with a Kindergarten class for two years and a Nursery class for two years. She was named Head of St. Patrick’s in 1966 and held this position for two decades. From 1976 to 1986 she served on the Governing Board of the National Association of Episcopal Schools (NAES), including as NAES President from 1984-1986. At its 2000 Biennial Conference, NAES presented Mrs. Schuessler with the John D. Verdery Award, its highest honor.

In 1986, Mrs. Schuessler imagined a new, more dynamic school. Within just six months, she and a small group of committed parents established Washington Episcopal School. With inspired help from WES’s first Board Chair, Robert E. Freer, Dorothy McSweeny, and other founders, she opened WES with 90 students in the basement of Pilgrim Lutheran Church on Massachusetts Avenue in Bethesda, Maryland. Just one year later, Mrs. Schuessler oversaw the school’s relocation to its present site on Little Falls Parkway in Bethesda. Enrollment grew steadily and the school added a Middle School (Grades 7 and 8) in 1995.

Mrs. Schuessler was critical to beginning many of WES’s signature programs. She shepherded the unique WES study trip program, an integral part of the academic curriculum, guiding middle and high school students to explore Utah, Italy, France, and Spain. The annual 6th Grade Musical started in the first year (though performed by Grade 5, then WES’s oldest students) with HMS Pinafore, followed by The Sound of Music. She also completed the school’s first capital campaign in 1995, which led to a successful campus transformation. Mrs. Scheussler guided most of the architectural revisions, including reorienting the school to face the Capital Crescent Trail, the location of the library, and converting a warehouse into a new gymnasium.

Mrs. Schuessler retired as Head of School in 2001, succeeded by Stuart Work. Since then, she has remained involved with WES and its active association for former and retired faculty. As recently as June of 2023, Mrs. Schuessler was part of a group of former WES staff who had lunch with members of the WES Class of 2023, talking to them about the history of the school and their futures.

WES honors Isabelle Schuessler every day — not just with remembrance but by embodying her legacy, principles, and aspirations. Foremost among these is the dedication to teaching children with kindness, joy, and purpose.