Hello, lovely humans,
One of the many things I admire about our community is the way we dive into doing difficult tasks together.
For example, we asked two students to represent MSA with our partner Sweetwater Music Hall at the Mill Valley Art Walk last night. Of course. our rock bands love performing each semester at Sweetwater; this new opportunity to showcase MSA visual artists for Mill Valley’s monthly event intrigued us. Seniors Sophie (Drawing and Painting) and Lanta (Product Design) didn’t know what to expect but agreed anyway. They brought examples of their work and an in progress project to share with the crowds. I loved hearing them interact with art walkers and explain our school and their plans for the future. The unknown aspect was hard but both students took the challenge in stride. We learned from the experience and hope to return to our sweet Sweetwater for another Art Walk soon.
Another hard thing we ask kids to do? Take seven classes and manage them all well. So close to the end of semester and finals, we find that some students are struggling to catch up or improve in difficult classes. Here, we can help them by breaking down what feels like insurmountable tasks. If your student is struggling in math, have they taken advantage of free tutoring offered three days a week in room 3403? If they are struggling in an AP class, has your kiddo reviewed and added to their notes? Let’s meet hard tasks by starting with small steps that we can do ourselves and build up momentum. Often teens want to avoid the hard stuff —advise them to start somewhere. Preach growth and learning, not perfection to help get them started.
A final hard thing of note? Working toward 100% participation. Our MSA Foundation took on that goal in its Winter Giving campaign. I love the way they model tackling big challenging goals with small steps in their Giving Week $10 Campaign. Creative people find a way to meet challenges—one stroke, one line, one scene, one event, one family donation, one step at a time. Thank you for all the little ways that add up to something wonderful.
Warmly,
Michelle Cortez
P.S. Check out opportunities to celebrate MSA students performing challenging work made to look and sound easy on and off campus in the MSA Calendar.