Faculty Spotlight: Cristin Gordon

By Abby Leyson

Before taking on the role of Executive Assistant to the Head of School, Cristin Gordon was a local contractor who worked at Westover as a part time dance instructor in January 2017. Cristin taught one contemporary dance class a week to Westover students, and she quickly fell in love with Westover’s community. 

Cristin joined Westover’s Dance department at a fuller capacity in 2020 by working with Meghan Buchanan, Co-Head of the Art Department & Director of the Dance Program, to meet the needs of Westover’s students in a virtual setting. In 2022, she stepped into the role of Assistant Director of Dance in 2022.

Simultaneously, the opportunity to work in the Head of School’s Office came up and she rose to the challenge. Since then, Westover students have come to Cristin as their go-to person for anything. Whether an incoming student needs help finding a classroom, another has questions about paperwork, or someone just wants to stop by for a treat from her candy jar, Cristin is always here to support them in every way.

Get to Know Cristin in Her Own Words: 

Where is your office? If I was to tell somebody where to find me, I would say the first floor of the main building or you could say the admissions hallway, or sometimes I say ‘behind reception.’ Fun fact: My office used to be Mary Hillard’s office. She liked to be in this space because she could see everything.

Favorite Westover tradition? I like the Lantern ceremony because it holds so much significance for so many people. It’s something kept very sacred and secret within the community, and that makes it so special. I remember my first Lantern ceremony, and how it made me feel really welcomed into the community. 

What are you looking forward to this school year? I always look forward to seeing how the new Senior class is going to shape the year…They’re shaping the culture, and watching them step into that space every year is very exciting. I’m kind of interested to see how they frame the culture of Westover. 

Best Westover meal? I really enjoy grilled cheese day. I like grilled cheese and tomato soup, and there are a lot of options for different grilled cheeses. Also, I really enjoyed the poke bowl day that we had. If I could have a salmon poke bowl every day, I would take it. 

What is your favorite thing about working at Westover? I think it’s pretty cliche to say the community, but I will say the community. Every single person that I’ve worked with is excellent at their job, interesting, fun, intelligent, and kind. I think that is very rare, so I really do appreciate getting to work with the people that I work with. Also knowing that our mission is to serve adolescents…our mission is to educate young people, and so it’s really exciting to go to work every day knowing that’s what you’re working towards. 

What is the first question you wish people would ask to get to know you? What’s your favorite True Crime documentary? You're gonna get me really excited if you wanna start talking about True Crime.

What is a book you would recommend to the Westover community? I would recommend I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy.