May 4, 2023
from Mark Segal, Upper School director
Looking Ahead
- May 5: New Family Panther Party, 4-5:30 PM
- May 6: Grade 10-12 Prom, 8-11 PM, St. Croix River Boat
- May 11: Middle and Upper School Orchestra Concert, 7-8:30 PM, Nicholson Center
- May 17: Middle and Upper School Band Concert, 7-8:30 PM, Nicholson Center
- May 19: Class of 2023 Last Day of Classes
- May 24: Upper School Vocal Concert, 7:30-9 PM, Nicholson Center
- May 25: Senior Performances, 10-11:30 AM, Recital Hall
- May 25: Senior Walk, 1-1:45 PM, MPA Campus
- May 25: Upper School Awards Assembly, 1:45-3 PM, Nicholson Center
- May 25: MPA Retirement Gathering, 4-6:30 PM, Family Commons
- May 26: No Classes, Professional Development
- May 29: No Classes, Memorial Day
- May 30: Upper School Service-Con, 1-4 PM, MPA Indoor Track
- May 31: Class of 2023 Senior Dinner, 6:30 PM, Off Campus
- June 1: World Language Final Exams, During World Language Classes
- June 2: World Language Final Exams, During World Language Classes
- June 2: Class of 2023 MANDATORY Graduation Rehearsal, 11 AM-12:30 PM, Nicholson Center
- June 3: Commencement, 6 PM, Nicholson Center
- June 5: English Final Exams, 8:45-10:15 AM, Locations TBD
- June 5: Math Final Exams, 12:00-1 PM, Locations TBD
- June 6: End of Quarter 4/Semester 2
- June 6: Social Studies Final Exams, 8:45-10:15 AM, Locations TBD
- June 6: Science Final Exams, 12:00-1 PM, Locations TBD
- June 7: Last Day of School
- June 7: Yearbook Assembly, 8:15 AM, Nicholson Center
- June 7: Dismissal, 10:15 AM
We are quickly approaching a fun and exciting time for 10th-12th grade students and their families as the MPA Prom is scheduled to be held this Saturday evening on a St. Croix River cruise. I find myself reflecting on the possibility of Upper School students being placed into situations where they may have to make difficult decisions and it is important that we work collaboratively to do all that we can to make it a happy and safe time for our students. Nothing is more valuable to a teenager than their friends, and nothing is more valuable to parents than the safety of their children. Unfortunately, these two don’t always interact well with one another. Statistically, prom night has been one of the most dangerous nights in a high school student’s life. Each year, we lose far too many teenagers to motor vehicle accidents, with an increase in alcohol and drug-related traffic fatalities on prom weekend. Car crashes are one of the leading causes of death for young adults between the ages of 15-19, and the reality is that many of those deaths are caused by teenage impaired or distracted driving. Sometimes, even the best kids encounter situations where alcohol and drug use occur, and our children could find themselves in an environment with unexpected expectations and consequences. As an upper school parent, you have the opportunity and responsibility to help ensure the safety of your children and others by helping them make the right choices.
There is no doubt that alcohol and drug usage is common risk-taking behavior during adolescence, and MPA students are no exception. Often this behavior happens, at home or school, right under our supervision. It is important that adults send a clear and consistent message that any illegal use of drugs or alcohol is forbidden. It is important to remember that it is illegal to provide alcohol to those under the age of 21, even at a supervised party at your own home. It is also important to know that if you choose to host a party where you serve alcohol to those under the age of 21, you can be held liable if one of your guests drinks alcohol and harms themselves or others by driving under the influence. Even if you are not actively providing alcohol to under-age drinkers, it is a dangerous choice to allow for teen drinking parties in your home.
With these dangers, I encourage us to take several steps to provide our students with the following alternatives to getting behind the wheel:
- Provide transportation alternatives. Offer to provide students rides on prom night. If your child does not want you to pick them up, hire or share professional transportation, if you are able, for your child.
- If your student uses a professional transportation service, make sure you have a discussion with the driver about your expectations that the ride be alcohol-free. Sometimes drivers will agree to purchase or furnish alcohol for their minor passengers; it is important to ensure that this will not happen by speaking directly with the driver.
- Make sure that students have a transportation app like Uber or Lyft and arrange to pay for this service for the night. Remember, this is a small cost to keep your child safe.
We, as adults in our students lives, need to consider the possibility that our children will be invited to a prom after-party. Based on my years of working with students, please find below a few tips to consider.
If your student has been invited to an afterparty:
- Let them know that you will be reaching out to the parent hosting the gathering to learn about the party and to see if you can assist with anything.
- If the party plans suddenly evaporate, maybe that wasn’t an appropriate party.
- If you do reach out, great; you are now connected with another parent, and can discuss expectations for the party.
- Discuss with your student your expectations of them attending the party.
- Be sure you have the address and phone number of the location where the party is taking place.
- No sleepovers – the longer the evening, the higher the probability of risky behavior, and the less likely the adults supervising are still awake.
- If you hear about a party after the fact, reach out to the host to thank them for hosting the party.
- If you find out they didn’t know about it and, as a matter of fact that they were out of town, you now have a connection and valuable information.
- If you hear about alcohol or drugs at a party, I encourage you to call the host parents and let them know what you heard. Think about what you would want to know if the party was at your house.
If you are hosting the afterparty:
- Have a start and stop time. Be aware of curfew laws and adolescents driving when bars are closing.
- Do not offer an open invitation; host only invited guests. Ask your student to share with you a list of those they invited.
- Word of a party spreads quickly in the age of smart phones and social media!
- Proximity control matters. Parents should be at home, awake, and making occasional trips through the party area. Consider inviting other parents to host the party with you.
- No one should be allowed to leave the party and return.
- If students know that drugs and alcohol are not allowed in your home, their car can become an alternative location for poor decisions to be made.
I have, unfortunately, seen first-hand the devastating impact that driving under the influence and poor decision-making can have on parents, families, friends, and communities, and I urge you to be proactive in communicating with your children. The most important message our students need to hear is that the adults in their lives care about them and are communicating with each other to keep them out of harm’s way.
I am looking forward to a wonderful prom Saturday evening and to seeing you on campus soon,
Mark
Important Information
- If your student will be absent, late, or needs to be excused early from school, please reach out to upper school administrative assistant Chanda Williams at cwilliams@moundsparkacademy.org.
- Please note that Friday, May 26 is a professional development day and no MPA classes will be held.
