Ken Willy’s path to Ardmore has had its fair share of twists and turns.

A dedication to education with an Episcopal influence has served as a compass for Willy, who serves as the headmaster at Oak Hall Episcopal School.

“There is a quote by a Christian philosopher, (Frederick) Buechner, and he said, ‘It is where your passion meets the world’s need. That is a calling there,’” Willy said. “And I think education is that. Teachers don’t get into education for the money.

“Unfortunately, many people don’t think very highly about teachers or education these days. But the reason that you have doctors, engineers, pilots, authors and musicians, the reason that you have is because of teachers. Anything that I am able to do to support what the teachers do here is a great privilege for me.”

The foundation in education

Willy grew up in Sydney, Australia, a city of over 3 million people and attended an Anglican boy’s school, St. Andrews Cathedral, which is located in the middle of the city.

“That really cemented my love of working of working for an Episcopal, which is the Anglican branch here in America,” Willy said. “I had some wonderful teachers. I was a Cathedral Chorister, so I sang most of my life at the school.”

Willy said he had wonderful directors, and it led him to become a music teacher. He attended university in Sydney, earned a bachelor’s degree in music education and taught in schools.

“My other love, because of my singing, still is church music,” Willie said. “So, after a couple of years of teaching in Sydney, I moved to England and completed a master’s degree in a field that does not get you a lot of jobs. But it is English church music, choral conducting and choir training.”

Willh was 24 at the time. He described moving to England to continue his education as a big adventure, packing up everything in a suitcase.

“I think I was pretty lucky, my dad slowed the car down at the airport to let me tuck and roll as I got out,” he said. “Basically, I packed everything because I didn’t know when I was coming back. I was going to do a degree and as it turned out, I stayed longer after that. I sang in a cathedral choir in England after my degree and taught in a school there.”

Building a resume

After spending time in England, Willy had an opportunity to move to Hobart on the island of Tasmania, which is a state of Australia. Willy was the director of choral music at an Anglican boy’s school. He taught in a classroom to younger grades and conducted an orchestra while running the music at a cathedral downtown.

Willy did that for five years and was invited back to his alma mater at St. Andrews as director of music and performing arts. It was a connection that he had made with the head of St. Thomas Fifth Avenue in New York while in Tasmania that would ultimately lead him to America.

“He was actually from New Zealand,” Willy said. “Nobody is perfect. It is okay to be from New Zealand, especially if you are from Australia. It is okay to be from New Zealand. It is like the US and Canada. They are very close. They trade and we have a military pact as well for that area.

“He then moved to become head of school in Coral Gables in Miami, Florida. We stayed in touch. My wife (Amanda Jackson-Willy) and I actually were living in a school boarding house, where she was a teacher. I taught at St. Andrews, and she taught at the King’s School in Sydney.”

Willy expressed interest in moving to America should a job open up. It was just him and his wife with no kids or no mortgage. Willy also pointed out that his wife had her own history of traveling, having been a Rotary exchange student in Sweden.

“He called back three to four months later and said are you serious about being interested in moving,” Willy said. “I said yes. He said there was a music job at the school coming up. If you are interested let’s talk.”

At the end of 1999, Willy moved to Coral Gables and his wife followed at the end of the school year. He worked at a large elementary, St. Thomas Episcopal, which had 435 kids three years old through the fifth grade.

“I then became director of music of the church as well,” he said. “I ran the school Monday through Friday and the ran the church’s music on Sundays. I later became dean of students at the school as well as the other jobs.”

Finding a home in Ardmore

With over 25 years spent professionally in education, Willy became interested in moving into school administration while staying within the Episcopal family.

“This position at Oak Hall was advertised and I was actually doing my doctoral studies at Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria,” he said. “One of the adjunct professors for the session said, ‘Do you know about this school?’ We talked a bit, and he gave my name to the consultants. They reached out and said ‘If you are interested, let’s explore.’”

In the summer of 2013, the Willy family moved from Miami to Ardmore. At that point, the family included two children, Gemma, who had just finished kindergarten and Charlie, who was two.

Willy said having no Target was among the biggest adjustments involved in moving to Ardmore. There were also plenty of boxes Ardmore did check.

“Really, the main thing with children in Miami, you were driving everywhere, and you were in a car, not necessarily driving but stopped in traffic for a long period of time,” he said. “We loved the school. We did a tour of Ardmore, and my wife did a second tour with two parents. To know that we had, for instance, the Goddard Center. Coming from a music background, in a city of this size, to have something like the Goddard Center that is not only putting on productions but also the classes and the summer schedule for kids.

“They had just put in a splash pad and were putting in others and we thought, that is a great thing for young kids. There is a hospital here. That is another good thing. It is always good to have healthcare close by. And the water park. We were just looking for what is available for a young family.”

The shorter commutes and family friendly opportunities were too much to pass on. Willy also said Oklahoma City and Dallas were not too far away when big city amenities were needed.

It has all worked out wonderfully for Willy and his family. While he does not do much musically these days, Willy said his family attends St. Philip’s Episcopal, and he enjoys the music program that takes place at the church. There are concerts in Oklahoma City and Dallas. Music is also available at a moment’s notice on YouTube where the best choirs are available without having to put mileage on the car.

“Having done music for so long, there are days that I miss it,” Willy said. “I miss it because it is part of me but at the same time, in taking the position here, it is like a clique, but it is like turning to a next chapter. It doesn’t mean I don’t look back fondly on my time. But what I do in education here at the school has really been my passion for what I do day in and day out.”

Willy said he would love to say that he will be retired in 10 years but feels that he will be biblical in age before that happens. His son Charlie is a student at Oak Hall and his daughter Gemma is a senior at St. Stephens Episcopal School in Austin. Willy envisions that he will continue working passionately to support teachers, students and their families.

“I love that the kids are so open, they just want to come in and have a great day,” Willy said. “They want to learn but they also want to be treated with respect and dignity, but they also want to be challenged. They want to be nurtured. They want to be able to explore and we have that environment. I love the teachers and staff. They are so committed to the mission, the children and the families.”