April 6, 2017
by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School
Whether your family traveled or stayed local, I hope you had an enjoyable spring break. It’s been wonderful to see the school come alive again after two weeks of a near-empty building. While breaks are a great time for me to delve into projects that require focused attention, I miss the hustle and bustle of a busy school day. In between work days, I did take some time off to spend with my daughter Ari. Upon the recommendation of friends, we spent one afternoon touring the Mill City Museum on the river in downtown Minneapolis. It has been on my list of things to do in the Twin Cities for some time, but without the urging of friends, we probably wouldn’t have made the visit.
Family and friends can not only play a role in choosing a place to visit or a new restaurant, but they can also be instrumental when choosing a school. While new families come to MPA through a wide variety of channels including online research, community events, direct mail, advertisements, etc. the most important way they come to us is through their personal relationships with you, our current community members. Your friends, neighbors, family members, and colleagues are the people who are most likely to find MPA to be the right fit for their family. This is only natural since you are likely to share similar values related to your children and their education.
According to MPA’s market research and a National Association of Independent School (NAIS) parent survey, personal networks are the most important factor considered when parents choose an independent school. Eighty percent of parents responded that they had used “friends, other parents, or alumni” when researching and choosing a school. As the school year draws to a close, our Admission season is reaching its peak. Our new marketing campaign has been wildly successful, and while the interest in our school is nearly double what it was last year at this time, it is important that we continue to connect with families who will find MPA the right fit.
Note that these are, by nature, generous conversations. You are trying to help the prospective family find a home and a community as much as you are trying to help MPA. Even insistent encouragement, if phrased properly, will be treated by a friend as an act of kindness—particularly once they have visited. The Office of Admission hears families saying again and again, “Thank you so much for not giving up on us—this has been the best decision we’ve ever made.”
If I may, I’d like to give you an assignment. In my vast powers (note my humor!) as head of school of MPA, I have declared April to be “Share MPA Month.” Please consider making a concerted effort to share MPA with a friend, family member, neighbor or colleague. Here are a few ideas:
- Over the course of several conversations, give someone a “gentle nudge” to look into MPA. You’ll know the topics your friends care about for their children’s education (an inclusive community, strong college counseling, the importance of specialists, a safe space that’s free from bullying, small class sizes, strong athletics, etc.). Even if in the end, they elect not to learn more, you will have provided quality, experienced, and knowledgeable advice.
- Each weekday this month, we’ll be posting interesting facts and figures related to our wonderful school on Facebook that are ready for sharing. Watch for these posts and be sure to “Share MPA” by reposting your favorites. Beyond social media, we hope these posts will give you additional key messages to share with your networks.
- Visit the MPA Sharing Shops to pick up some ways to share your love of MPA. These popup shops will be open every Friday this month at the north entrance from 7:45–8:35 AM, and at the south entrance from 2:45–3:30 PM. This Friday, we’ll be giving away lawn signs and entering everyone who stops by into a Spirit Store gift card drawing.
- Reach out to the Office of Admission to request a packet be sent to someone in your network or to more formally join the Ambassador Network. Email admission@moundsparkacademy.org or call 651-748-5577.
If you are like me, it is not hard to share MPA in my personal network of friends and neighbors. As head of school and an MPA parent, I am more than happy to encourage others to look more deeply at MPA because I know first-hand the difference it made for our family. I thank you in advance for your efforts to share MPA in your community and look forward to greeting you over the next several months at the many special events that mark this time of year.
