Head of School Derrick Willard has announced that Director of Fine Arts David McChesney and Fine Arts Administrative Coordinator Elisabeth McChesney will retire at the end of this school year.

“After 25 and 21 years of dedicated service, respectively, David McChesney and Elisabeth McChesney have shared their plans to retire at the end of this school year,” Willard wrote. “The McChesneys have each been instrumental in creating Ravenscroft’s first-class fine arts program.”

David McChesney has worked at Ravenscroft since 1999 and was appointed the school’s first full-time Director of Fine Arts in 2004. In that time, he has advocated for nurturing students’ artistic talent beyond campus borders through participation in top-tier international opportunities and state and national competitions. In addition, he has ensured that students of all ages have the opportunity to learn from the best music, drama and art teachers around, drawing to Ravenscroft numerous classroom and private lessons instructors who also shine in the thriving Triangle fine arts community and beyond.

He has also overseen several important expansions in facilities dedicated to the fine arts: the 2006 addition of the young peoples’ theatre, a flexible black box space for classes and intimate performances; the 2010 creation of the Morton Courtyard, used for small outdoor performances and celebrations; and the 2018 transformation of the Richards Hall annex into the Lower School Fine Arts Center, bringing all of the Lower School arts programming under one roof. 

“David gave us the means, in an excellent facility, to do our best teaching and learning,” longtime visual art teacher Joyce Fillip said. “He gave the students opportunities to perform and exhibit in professional local and international venues, helping them develop a sense of self and confidence that they could succeed and take chances in this environment and beyond the classrooms at Ravenscroft.”

As the Fine Arts Administrative Coordinator since 2005, Elisabeth McChesney has provided invaluable support and guidance to fine arts faculty and staff, students and parent/guardian volunteers. In her role as staff liaison to the parent-led Fine Arts Association, she has been instrumental in ensuring that fine arts events are visible and celebrated throughout the school community and, through her partnership on the Fine Arts Booklet, that students’ contributions are highlighted and parent and community supporters are engaged. Bringing to this role her own passion for the arts, she has elevated the department’s work everywhere she has touched it. In recognition of her distinguished service to the school, she was recognized in 2015 with the Helton Excellence Award.

“David has always had a bright vision for the growth of the Fine Arts Department here at Ravenscroft, and Elisabeth has always been by David’s side in helping his dream come to fruition, figuring out the logistics to make it all happen,” Lower School music teacher Katie O’Neill said. “Our department feels like a family because of their guidance, leadership and friendship, and they value our family lives and the importance of us continuing to practice our specialty around the community.”

“Elisabeth added a unique spark of humor to our department,” Fillip, who retired in 2020, added. “She often was a sounding board for ideas and ways to solve problems before I knew I had a problem. She always had a smile and time to listen. Her thank-you notes continue to bring a smile or a tear to my eye and remind me how important meaningful communication is.”

Former trustee and alumni parent Merrill Hunter — who with his wife, Marilyn, founded the Hunter Family Scholarship in the Fine and Performing Arts in 2000 — said of the McChesneys’ impact on the Fine Arts Department, “Both have been instrumental in keeping us connected to Ravenscroft through their nurturing of the Hunter Scholars. We could not be more pleased with how they have managed the program and kept the students in touch with us along their journey. We know that students involved in the arts at Ravenscroft have to be at the top of their game!”

In closing his announcement, Willard emphasized the tremendous breadth of the McChesneys’ legacy in the fine arts at Ravenscroft. 

“The McChesneys are talented, beloved colleagues and friends to so many in our community,” he wrote. “Their leadership has enabled countless students to launch successful careers in various artistic disciplines across the country, including on the stage, in the visual arts and in orchestras, choirs and bands.

“We celebrate their many, many contributions to Ravenscroft and wish them the utmost happiness in their retirement.”