the.com/headmistress
The woman who runs the school and somehow knows you ran in the hallway.
means A female principal or head teacher who leads a school's staff, students, and disciplinary climate.
from From head, meaning chief or top, plus mistress, the female counterpart to master, both rooted in Latin magister, teacher. The pairing dates to the 1700s when girls' schools needed a word for the woman at the helm.
Going neutralMany schools now prefer head teacher or principal.
British rootsThe term thrives in UK and Commonwealth schools.
Mistress lineageSame root as masterpiece and schoolmaster.