In August 2025, Dorothy (Snee) Falk stepped down from the Falk School Board after nearly 30 years of consecutive service. As a Falk Family Representative and a public school teacher dedicated to making education accessible and meaningful, Dorothy served as a source of invaluable insight and advocacy during her tenure on the board.

Dorothy with her husband, Andy, and children, Sam, Ellie, and Amy.

Changing Lives 

From an early age, Dorothy’s mother, who was born in Taiwan and moved to the United States with her late husband, taught Dorothy that education could open doors. "After my father died, she decided to stay in the United States because she said there [was] so much more opportunity here and that the education [we] could get here was going to change [our] lives." As a result, Dorothy shares, “It's always been ingrained in me that education changes lives.”

After receiving an undergraduate degree in mathematics from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA, Dorothy took a position at a software company that sold data aggregation and marketing tools. “After five, six years of working in that environment, I didn't feel like I was doing enough to touch lives, so I decided to scrap the corporate world." Remembering her mother’s wisdom, she returned to school to become a teacher. 

“I took all my savings, went to the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN, and enrolled in their master's program.” Afterward, with a master’s degree in education, curriculum, and instruction, Dorothy taught a combined fourth- and fifth-grade class at a public school in Edwards, CO. 

Eventually, she and her husband, Andy Falk, a grandson of school founder Leon Falk, Jr., decided to move back east to be closer to family. When they arrived in Pittsburgh, Dorothy’s mother-in-law recommended Falk Laboratory School as a potential workplace, prompting Dorothy to set up a tour. 

“I remember visiting the school, and at the end of the tour, I thought, ‘I can't work here. Those teachers work way too hard!’,” Dorothy says with a laugh. “The biggest reason for the Falk School’s success is the people who make it happen—the people who believe in it, who buy into it, who sacrifice their time and their energy for it. It’s not just a 7:30 to 3:30 job. It’s everything.” 

At the time, Dorothy was looking to start a family, not become a first-year educator again. So, with respect and admiration for the “little unique place” that Falk was, she decided not to seek a full-time career there—instead, she joined the Falk School Board.

Stewardship and Service 

Dorothy’s first term on the board started in 1997, when her oldest child, Sam, was an infant. She remembers bringing him to board meetings, nestled in his baby car seat while school matters were decided around him. The Falk School Board was the first one she had ever sat on, so “the first couple of years, I just sat and listened.”

What she learned during this time was that, while Falk was doing an excellent job honoring its progressive and lab school roots, the work they were doing wasn’t making it beyond the school walls. “It was like a little secret gem,” she reflects, “but I didn't feel like it was fulfilling its original mission. [Falk] is here to change education, to move it forward. I didn't feel like that was being developed as much as it should.” She also saw an opportunity to strengthen Falk’s relationship with the University by fostering more collaborative programming and research.

Expanding Access 

Equally important for Dorothy was the issue of accessibility. “The first thing I felt like I needed to stand up [for] and address was that I wanted all kids to have a chance to come here, even those whose families couldn’t afford it. That was me as a kid. I never would have come to Falk because we couldn't afford it, so making sure there were resources available for people who couldn't afford it [was important].” This sparked pivotal conversations about financial aid, scholarship support, and how to make Falk a space where all students were welcome. 

For Dorothy, it wasn’t just about offering a spot to all students—it was also about building an atmosphere of respect, understanding, and equity once they enrolled. In 2018, she and her husband established a Falk family fund to support teacher training, classroom materials, and school programming related to student belonging, and a few years later, she helped advocate for a full-time justice education role at the school. 

Building Expansion 

Another important endeavor Dorothy participated in was the renovation and expansion of the school in the late 2000s. At the time, Dorothy says, the building was not in a state to effectively serve its students and keep up with an ever-growing world. A renovation was necessary, but because Falk is an independent unit of the University of Pittsburgh, doing so required coming to a mutually beneficial agreement with Pitt’s leadership. 

Andy, Dorothy, Sigo, Sam, Ellie, and Amy at the groundbreaking ceremony for the building expansion in May 2007.

“I was lucky enough to be in the conversations,” Dorothy reflects. When an initial proposal from the University sparked concern in the Falk community, she had the opportunity to say, “Here are some issues [we] feel need to be addressed before we go any further with this.”

At the end of the day, the board’s advocacy and collaboration resulted in a plan to expand Falk to the north, taking advantage of property not originally included in Falk’s charter. The University then acquired the grass field just beyond the main playground and converted it into a basketball court that both Falk and Pitt students regularly enjoy today.

Relationships 

Returning to the issue of Falk’s relationship with Pitt, Dorothy says there is far more collaboration and mutual support now than when she first joined the board. “I feel like [Falk] is taking advantage of the wealth of talent [and] the university resources [at Pitt],” she says. 

In K–5 classrooms, students are visited annually by members of the Swanson School of Engineering for bridge-building and friction projects. Pitt faculty regularly connect with the school to pursue research opportunities. Dental and medical students teach Falk children about handwashing and hygiene. Across all grade levels and disciplines, Falk students aren’t living in isolation from Pitt but instead have become immersed in its resources and opportunities.  

"I think one of the things, too, that has changed is that Falk School used to think of itself as [separate from] Pitt. I think now there's much more recognition that Falk School is Pitt. It's not two separate entities. I feel like there’s a much better relationship."

Choosing Falk 

Sam Falk with his sisters, Ellie and Amy, after his first day of kindergarten in 2002.

Despite being passionate about Falk’s educational mission, Dorothy says she never imagined sending her children to a private school. “I'm a public school kid, and I'm a very strong public school proponent. It never occurred to me that I would eventually send my kids to private school. In fact, I struggled with it for a really long time,” she shares. 

That changed, however, when she thought about the life-changing experience her kids could have at a place like Falk. “When it came time for [Sam] to start kindergarten, one of my overriding thoughts was that Falk [was] doing all the things I had learned about in my master's program, things that lead to effective education,” Dorothy says. 

“After the [admissions] tour, Andy said, ‘Sam should go there.’ I asked, ‘Why?’ He said, ‘Because this is a place where the eighth graders are nice to the kindergartners.’ Walking the halls, he saw eighth graders just being nice to the younger kids, and he said, ‘Any school that can develop that kind of relationship between its students—it means a lot. It tells you a lot about what's going on at the school.’”

In addition to the social atmosphere, Dorothy felt drawn to Falk for its child-centered teaching philosophy. During an interview at a local public school, Dorothy remembers a kindergarten teacher saying, “We all stay together.” “That's not what I wanted to hear,” she says. “I want to hear that kids are being challenged and that their needs are being met, not that everyone is being pushed through together."

In 2002, Sam started kindergarten at Falk, and a few years later, Ellie and Amy followed. “Everything about having the kids come here was wonderful,” Dorothy says. “The [students] that are here, they're getting the attention and the care and the resources that they need. Everybody always says the most valuable thing about [a] place is its people,” she adds, “and I can't think of any other example where it’s as obvious.”

Passing the Torch 

Reflecting on her time on the board, Dorothy says serving has been both a pleasure and an honor. “I probably could have [stepped down] a lot earlier,” she adds, “but I'd come to the meetings, and I'd feel the energy of the people here, and you want to be a part of that. I think that's one of the gifts of Falk is you just come and think, ‘Yes, yes, I want to be part of this!’”

Still, Dorothy looks forward to the next generation of Falk family representation. During the 2025–26 school year, Seth Glick, one of Leon Falk Jr.’s great-grandsons, joined Nancy Glick as a Falk family representative on the school board. “He is a great person to carry the baton forward,” Dorothy says. “Not only does he have two kids enrolled here, but he's also involved in the Pittsburgh community at large [and is] very interested in Falk history. I know that he and Nancy will help keep [Falk School] moving forward while making sure it stays true to its founding mission. I leave the school in very good hands." 

Seth and one of his sons at morning drop-off at Falk.