Allison Lahl

Allison is thrilled to join York after many years at Pacific Ridge School in Carlsbad, CA where she was 9th grade dean and an English teacher. In her capacity as dean, Allison curated a meaningful year-long experience for 9th grade students. This included redesigning the English 9 curriculum, developing a new approach to student-led conferences that was implemented across the entire upper school, re-envisioning and directing two grade-level projects, creating an advisory curriculum, preparing students for their end-of-year trip to Yosemite, leading the 9th grade team of teachers and advisors, and serving on strategic initiatives. Beyond this, she designed and taught an African American Literature course and facilitated professional development for faculty. While at PRS, Allison was critically involved in the school’s work on diversity, equity, and inclusion, social-emotional learning, and belonging, and she initiated a DEI teaching and learning segment with the 9th grade team that greatly enriched the student experience.  

As an educator and administrator, Allison is dedicated to student-centered programming, foregrounding opportunities for students to explore who they are and what they are passionate about and to examine the role of identity in their own lives and the world around them. In doing so, Allison invites students to lean into discomfort and be vulnerable, knowing that in taking on challenges together, they will walk away with a stronger connection to their community and a clearer sense of self. She believes in balancing this with a commitment to meeting students where they are and cultivating joy and hands-on learning alongside rigorous academic study. 

As Director of Student Life at York, Allison is excited to expand her work from a single grade level to students’ entire high school trajectories. She will continue to focus on DEI, SEL, and belonging at York and seek to create a strong sense of connection for all students. Allison knows that, when students feel seen and that they belong, they are more likely to engage in the classroom, experience higher degrees of academic success, become involved in co-curricular and extracurricular spaces, and make a lasting impact on their community. She looks forward to building deep relationships with students and faculty and to making York her new home. 

Allison holds degrees in English and Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley and Columbia University, as well as a teaching credential in English from San Diego State University. She began her high school teaching career at High Tech High, a project-based learning school in San Diego, and prior to that, she worked at a leading immigration law firm in Los Angeles, where she prepared visas for clients of extraordinary ability. Recently, Allison published two articles for Edutopia: “Combining Academic Rigor and Student Self-Discovery in Project-Based Learning” and “Honoring Listening as a Key Skill in Student-Led Discussions.” When not working with students, Allison enjoys spending time with her husband and plethora of rescue animals, reading (especially young adult literature), creative writing, escape rooms, board games, and hiking.