Dr. Chelsea (Cutting) Foster, a 1992 graduate of Cheltenham High School, is currently the Head of School at the Valley Christian School in Huntingdon Valley.
According to a Cheltenham School District biography, some of her fondest memories of Wyncote include competing for the cross country, track & field, and swim teams, and playing in the pit orchestra for the spring musicals at CHS. Her mother, Edith LaSmith Cutting, was the district’s first ESL teacher’s aide in the 1980s and 1990s.
Dr. Foster returned to the Cheltenham School District as a teacher in 1999. She taught Spanish, ESL and History at Elkins Park and Cedarbrook middle schools as well as at the high school. While at CHS, she was the assistant coach for the swim team and track & field, and co-sponsor for the class of 2004.
In 2005, she left the district to raise her family and teach part-time at the university level for the next ten years, primarily for Esperanza College of Eastern University. She later served as a consultant and a human resource specialist for Esperanza Academy Charter Schools while completing her Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership.
Dr. Foster has authored books for caregivers and their children and is currently serving as the President of the Montgomery County Chapter of Black Women’s Educational Alliance (BWEA). She still lives in the area with her husband and four children.
In 2021, she authored “Chloe, the Mom Doctor” which can be purchased here. From the description:
Chloe and her siblings love their grandmother, named Nonnie. One day, Nonnie gets sick and Chloe’s parents become caregivers. It all happens so fast and everyone in the family is affected, especially Chloe, her older sister and two younger brothers. Caring for a loved one impacts the relationship dynamics of the entire family. The children are especially affected as they may not understand why mom or dad cannot spend much time with them. The purpose of this book is to help adults to begin a conversation with children about what happens when a loved one gets sick. It also gives children the opportunity to see how they can be helpful and encouraging during such a challenging time.

Her other books can be found here. For an interview about Dr. Foster’s personal and professional background, you can click here. You can also visit her website.
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Photos: drchelseafoster.com, Women Scholars & Professionals