A: Depending on the length of tenure of your Head and the culture of your school, it is always appropriate to plan a celebration of the years that the Head presided over. For example, you might want to have a special reception for alumni who graduated while the Head was there, or for the trustees who served with him/her. Additionally, current students would be given the opportunity to thank the Head for her service as well as learning about school traditions through remembrances of the events and accomplishments during his/her tenure. Finally, depending on school culture and the popularity of the retiring Head, a fund-raising effort can be launched in his/her honor that can fund an endowment supporting a program of special interest to the Head.
Announcing the Head's retirement to the media also depends on the Head's tenure and popularity. For example, if the Head is retiring after five years, it may not be of much interest. However, in most cases, it is certainly worthy of a press release to the local media.
