After four years at U-High, principal Paul Beekmeyer will be leaving his position at the end of the 2022-23 academic year, according to an email sent to the U-High community by Director Tori Jueds on Feb. 3. Mr. Beekmeyer announced his departure in person to faculty at a lunchtime meeting.

Mr. Beekmeyer has accepted an opportunity to work as the head of upper school at a boarding school in Florida. In a letter appended to Ms. Jueds’s email, Mr. Beekmeyer communicated that he has loved his time at U-High, but that his decision to leave is motivated by the possibility of enjoying more time with his family and the opportunity to live at a boarding school. 

“I could not pass up on the chance to both work and live in a campus community where I can walk my daughters to school, take them to watch the ‘big kids play tennis’ and still be there to tuck them into bed and read them a story,” Mr. Beekmeyer wrote in the email.

Mr. Beekmeyer joined the Laboratory Schools as high school principal in 2019. Since then, the Program of Studies has expanded, and he has helped implement policies to moderate homework load and support student mental health.

In an email statement to the Midway, Mr. Beekmeyer wrote “It has been a humbling experience to have been given the opportunity to work at such a wonderful school full of talented faculty, an always supportive administrative team at both Lab and the University, and most of all incredible young people. I will continue to wear Maroon with pride and feel very fortunate to have worked for the University of Chicago.”

This story will be updated as more details become available.