About
Employee Directory
Sarah Bates
- Head of Upper School
- 718-836-9800 x6513
- Dyker Heights
- Upper School
“I hope to positively encourage our students to act with compassion and integrity and pursue a lifelong love of learning.”
A former Poly history teacher and Upper School dean, Sarah Bates became Head of Upper School in 2019. She has been an innovative and engaging leader from her earliest days at Poly and her expanded role allows her to connect with all Upper School students. “I want students to invigorate their intellectual curiosity, have space and support to explore their interests, and, ideally, have fun while doing so.” Before coming to Poly, Sarah taught history and English as a second language at Indian Mountain School in Lakeville, Connecticut; was chair of the Study Skills Department and English instructor at The Salisbury Summer School in Salisbury, Connecticut; and taught history at Trinity Preparatory School in Winter Park, Florida. In her career, she has participated in a service-training project in Tanzania and a research project in South Africa. Sarah earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida in 2004, a master’s degree in liberal studies with a concentration in African Studies from Skidmore College in 2011, and is working on a M.Ed. in school leadership from the University of Pennsylvania.”
Administration Interdisciplinary Studies