Just six weeks into her new role as the site director of the Burwell School, Elizabeth Hays, a long time Hillsboroughian, sat down with The News of Orange County in the south parlor of the historic house. Hays is on board to lead the school, after a rough patch, into its next chapter, and brings just the right combination of skills, from her experience in education, nonprofit leadership, and community engagement. Originally from Jackson, Miss., Hays, 56, spoke non-stop for 45 minutes, with ease and passion, about the school, its history and future, and, no surprise, its favorite daughter. She’s both humble (“I’m just here to steward”) and proud (“We have this unique opportunity”), and invites locals and tourists to stop by, sit on the front porch, or come in on a hot summer day and learn about the school’s complex past, which is rich in promise and saddled with injustice.
Q: For anyone who doesn’t know, what is the Burwell School?
A: A lot of people think, “Oh, you’re running a school now” or “How many students do you have?” That is not what I’m doing. I am running a historic site. This is technically an Antebellum home that was built in 1821 and sits on just over two acres in downtown Hillsborough. Between roughly the 1830s and 1850s, it was operated as a girl’s school…