In late September, beloved Head of School Chris Mazzola triumphantly marked her return to campus with her first speech since her leave of absence. 

She had not addressed the entire student body in such a formal way since last winter, when she stepped away from her role after being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. I had the opportunity to speak with her to hear her side of the story, reflections on lessons learned, and a message for the Branson community.

What was the process of making the decision to step away from school like for you?

“I was kind of sick all summer [2024], and I never really got better. As the fall went on last year, I just kept feeling sicker and sicker, and it was to the point where I felt like I had the flu all of the time. Christmas came around, and I was okay but not doing great. And then when we came back from break, I got really sick and ended up in the hospital. At that point, I realized I was only going to get sicker, and that I needed to step away to figure out what was wrong with me.”

“Finally, around Christmas, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. And, when I learned the extent of that, I realized ‘I’m going to have to take some time to step away and get better… and so, that’s how the decision was made.”

“My team was amazing and just stepped up and ran the school beautifully — I made myself superfluous.”

What did that time off look like for you?

“So, the first four months I was really in bed. Then, the last two months, I was just trying to get strong because you need to be at your peak health to be able to do this job. So, the last couple months, I was really just trying to start exercising again and getting strong, getting my strength back in terms of even just walking my dogs.”

What has the process of returning been like so far? Has it been smooth?

“It’s been so great because I came back when school was out, and the summer is slow. So, it was a very easy re-entry. I came to work on my first day back, and I was literally the only person here… it was quiet, so I could catch up on all my projects and all the things I’d missed.”

“By the time school started, I was feeling like myself again.”

What did you miss the most about Branson while you were–

Before I could even finish my sentence, her mind was made up. 

“The students, 100%. That was everything. For me, that was the hardest part of being away — just missing the joy and energy of the people here. I was fighting to get back to students. That’s my whole purpose, and that’s why I do this, because I love the students and I love watching you guys learn and grow and become who you’re going to be.”

“I missed the faculty and staff too, and everyone did such an amazing job in my absence. I was just so grateful that folks were able to come together. And I missed the day-to-day. It’s a fun job. It’s a hard job, but it’s a fun job. You know, I laugh every day.”

What are you most excited to focus on this year as you return?

“Well, we’re getting ready to launch this thing called a Catalyst Scholars Program that is going to be for juniors and seniors where they can pose an essential question or an area of inquiry and, with teachers we’re freeing up to do this, you’ll be in a cohort of other juniors, and then we’ll pursue that question over the course of a year with a class — like a thesis program.”

What personal lessons have you learned over your time away that you think would be helpful for the Branson community as a whole?

“I think I’ll probably talk about this at graduation. So, like many of you guys, I always grew up thinking I had to do everything perfectly. 
I had to have A’s, I had to be a good tennis player, I had to live up to everybody else’s expectations, right? This is the whole perfectionism syndrome. And I’ve even taken that into my adult life, which, I would say, is probably not very healthy. 
And I’ve never before in my work life had to take a pause, had to say ‘I can’t do this right now.’ And it took a lot for me to get past all that.”

“Realizing that I can ask for help and not have my world come crashing down was kind of a revelation for me. That’s kind of crazy at 58 years old that it took me that long to realize I could actually ask for help and say I wasn’t okay. And that would be my lesson to students because I think it all turned out like it was the right thing to do. I needed it to get better, right? 
If I didn’t ask for help, I was not going to be serving anyone here very well… I think if I hadn’t taken the time off, I wouldn’t be here.”

“It’s just that feeling of measuring up to what everybody else expects of you rather than what you need for yourself — just being honest with yourself.”

Are there any ways that the Branson community can continue to support you?

“No, I’m just so grateful for the relationships that I have with the people here. This is such a supportive community, and I felt so supported when I was gone and I just want to offer that back.”

Is there a message you would like to share with everyone?

“Well, first of all, my gratitude and thanks for how well everything went last spring, for the community giving me the space to get better. And also that, when you are struggling, help is always there in a community like this. I want people to know that. No one’s alone. There’s always someone who’s going to look after you and offer you a hand. That would be my message, and I didn’t know that that was true for me. And it was so important to find out that it was.”