Hello, dear MSA Communities,
We’re in the middle of application season with twice-a-week tours to prospective students and families. I love sharing MSA and NHS with new folks and seeing our classrooms and students from fresh eyes. There are so many aspects to show off and so many students and staff to be proud of. The creativity, the collaboration, the insight, and safe risk-taking! It’s lovely to be around and easy to see on tour.
Less obvious to see on a school day tour is the connective tissue and foundation of our awesome parent community. Lately on tour I’ve been talking about how we don’t just recruit students—we recruit the whole family. It’s true! We couldn’t put on big bold events like Big Band Dance or install ambitious sets like the one we’ll see when Into the Woods opens without a large stable of regular parent volunteers who invest their evenings and weekends in helping students and staff pull off their collaborative visions. In times when there is uncertainty, confusion, frustration, even violence in the larger community around us, I am even more thankful for the ways families integrate into our creative work and add protective factors which benefit not only their own children but create a caring community for all the kids in all our programs. I know you all get tired sometimes but you keep showing up. Family engagement matters in so many ways.
Thank you for all you do (and if you know a prospective family, bring them to a show so they can see for themselves!)
With so much love for all parts of our diverse communities,
Michelle Cortez