August 20, 2020
by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School
There is little more joyous than a wedding or the birth or adoption of a child. Welcoming new members to our family and the growth of our extended family are certainly worth celebrating. With each new addition, our family is redefined and our sense of self is enhanced. Collectively, our values and perspectives are both affirmed and enriched. Many people think of MPA as a family and each year we have the joy of welcoming new members to this exceptional community.
I had the pleasure of welcoming our new families and students to MPA during Tuesday’s New Family Orientation and our MPA family has grown to include 108 new students and their families. As I looked at the families on each of the tiles on Zoom, I was struck by how the mission of MPA was reflected in the faces of our new families. Here are a few fun facts about our new family members:
- 41 new students will join the Lower School;
- 38 new students will join the Middle School;
- 29 new students will join the Upper School;
- New students come from 45 different zip codes;
- In addition to English, these students speak 13 different languages at home including Swahili, Somali, Armenian, Spanish, Korean, Hmong, Urdu, Chinese, Swedish, French, Portuguese, Nepali, and Mandarin;
- 40 of them enrolled without ever having stepped foot on campus;
- 5 are children of alumni; and
- 8 children of faculty or staff.
Several years ago, our fabulous Yearbook Team chose “We are a Mosaic” as their theme. In the introduction of the yearbook, they wrote, “A mosaic is a combination of diverse elements forming a coherent whole. Maybe you’ve seen one of these colorful masterpieces composed of stained glass or bright tiles in a home, museum, of even a grand cathedral. But you don’t have to go far to take in one of these designs. Each day our halls brim with our own beautiful mosaic … our school is made up of students that fit together to form an exquisite piece of art. Each individual piece of our mosaic is forming a beautiful whole. Our diversity in age, cultures, talents, interests, and personalities paints an array of colors that make our mosaic vibrant.”
An artist friend of mine specializes in making beautiful mosaics and shares the creative process on Facebook. At the beginning, there is nothing but individual, randomly shaped colorful tiles. Then each tessera is carefully placed and brought together. The result is a wholly unique and exquisite piece of art with the whole reflecting the diversity and richness of each piece.
I cannot think of a better way to describe my feelings about the MPA family. Our enrollment now stands at 510, the highest in more than eight years. I am thrilled to welcome our new students and families and I cannot wait to see how our MPA family is enriched by the unique gifts, perspectives, and talents of each of them! To all our students and families, welcome home!
