October 15, 2018
This article is the first in a series called “The Fall Campaign Stories of Impact: Five Weeks, Five Stories, Five Reasons to Give.”
At MPA, we know that educational aha moments aren’t limited to the school day or the four walls of a classroom. That’s why experiential learning off campus is built into the curriculum, allowing students to grow and explore in a variety of settings that cultivate a genuine joy of learning.
For Bridgette Shannon’s eighth grade son DJ, attending this fall’s Eagle Bluff overnight was truly transformational. “He came back a different person, with a different perspective on life,” she says. The Eagle Bluff experiments around ecology and conservation continued to make an impact at home, long after the trip ended. “Coming out of Eagle Bluff, he doesn’t want to be wasteful or careless,” says Bridgette, “from not stepping on a bug to cleaning his room!”
Relationships were another powerful part of the Eagle Bluff experience for DJ, which was especially important as a student new to MPA. “They hiked in the woods and had to navigate their way back, work together as a group, and really bond,” Bridgette explains. “There was a student who was uneasy about being away from home, and DJ was able to support his friend, and help him build confidence.”
Laurel Schwartz ’11 is currently a multimedia producer and social advocacy student at Columbia University. “Or, [I’m] a social scientist with a track record for getting things done,” she says.
Thank you to all our athletes, parents and families, volunteers, alumni, faculty and staff, and students who made Homecoming such a success! We had a great turnout at the Fun Runs and our Lower School National Anthem singers made several of us tear up at their performances. The food trucks served good smells along with their yummy food and our athletic teams had strong, competitive showings. The community laughed, shared stories, decorated faces, grabbed fun swag, threw beanbags and frisbees, and jumped in the bouncies. The air was crisp and the sounds of fun and laughter carried from the soccer field to Lansing Center.
It’s Homecoming! Fall has arrived, campus-wide Homecoming decorations are underway, and the Panther even made a guest appearance at the South Entrance this morning.
by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School
There is only one more week until Homecoming, and the joy begins at the starting line of the Homecoming Fun Run on Saturday, September 29! The MPA Cross Country team is hosting a 200M run at 8:30 AM. It’s the perfect opportunity for our younger students to participate in the festivities and run with the Panthers! Immediately following the 200M Fun Run, we are hosting a 2-mile race that is open to the entire community. All run participants will receive a limited edition aluminum MPA water bottle, energizing snacks, and plenty of water!
MPA Talks is an annual, meaningful, and fascinating event that is completely unique to MPA. Featuring presentations by some of our community’s most intriguing members on inspiring and relevant topics, everyone is invited to come, listen, ask questions, and leave with new lengths of knowledge. Held in the fall and in the evening this year, dinner will be provided.
Save and share the date for Lower and Middle School Grandparents and Special Friends Day with your grandparents and special friends! The cherished MPA event will be held the morning of Wednesday, October 17, prior to an early dismissal at 11:30 AM for grades PreK-11. Information was sent home via Lower School folders and Middle School advisories with how to tell us the names of the grandparents and special friends whom we should invite. Please ask them to save the date prior to their invitation arriving in the mail!
We all belong here! All families PreK-12 should save the date to come and celebrate MPA Homecoming 2018 on Saturday, September 29!