Remembering Beloved Former Faculty Member, Heidi Dawidoff

The Hopkins community is mourning the loss of Heidi Dawidoff, a legendary New Haven high school teacher who passed away peacefully on August 13, 2024.

Among her many accomplishments, for nearly forty years, Dawidoff taught at the Day Prospect Hill School for girls which merged with Hopkins School during her tenure. She retired from Hopkins in 2000.

Following a post remembering Dawidoff on Hopkins’ official Facebook page, there was an influx of comments from former students and colleagues who shared memories and kind words about Dawidoff’s impact and thoughtfulness.

“…her thousands of students knew a fully engaged, completely original teacher who helped them to share her impassioned understanding of Shakespeare, Austen, Dickens, Thoreau, Woolf, Wharton and Baldwin. Her students remember an instructor who knew them so well as individuals that she helped them to better know themselves,” her obituary stated.

A celebration of life ceremony at Hopkins School is being planned for a later date. Details will be communicated on Hopkins.edu as well as on the School’s social media channels. Look for an in-depth story on Dawidoff’s incredible life and career in an upcoming edition of VIEWS Magazine in early 2025.