Vector Graphic of Tesla Cybertruck. Rizwan Shahzad/Shutterstock.com.
I have a number of great memories from the past academic year, amongst them: seeing Beyoncé in the New Orleans Superdome; marveling at the fall foliage as I drove from Newark Academy up to Waynflete School; chatting with parents and students at Porter-Gaud’s “Sophomore College Night”; and yes, seeing my first Tesla Cybertruck while at MSON’s Annual Workshop, this year held at Chadwick School.
My focus for the year was “systems and support,” and at the top of the list was our enrollment system. Utilizing the services of Mission & Data, MSON introduced a course catalog that allows students to sort courses by term, meeting days & times, and target grade level. Additionally, Academic Liaisons now have Dashboards where they can – in real time – track the status of course requests, view the capacity of each course, and see students’ final course placements. And this fall, instructors will access similar Dashboards where they’ll see their course rosters, as well as their submitted grades and comments. The liaison feedback we received (“fantastic,” “game changer,” “love the dashboard”) suggests that folks appreciate the new system!
MSON course catalog
In October I visited Newark Academy (NJ), Hopkins School (CT), Commonwealth School (MA), Derryfield School (NH), and Waynflete School (ME). It is truly energizing to chat with instructors and students, tour top notch facilities, and learn more about the signature programs at member schools. From science research poster presentations to a 42,000 sq.ft. Athletic & Wellness Center, MSON schools provide access to university-level research opportunities, cutting edge technology, and an amazing variety of resources.
Derryfield MSON instructor, Steve Young, caught teaching MSON Data Structures and Algorithms
Newark Academy Weekly Upper School Assembly
Adirondack chairs at Waynflete beckoning students to get comfortable
Hopkins School MSON student, Swarna, presenting her research findings (co-authors all from Yale University!)
Early February brought me to Porter-Gaud School (SC) where I was invited to help introduce MSON at Sophomore College Night. The evening had a “choose your own adventure” feel as parents and students selected which presentations they attended with representatives from Wofford College, Vanderbilt University, The Princeton Review, and more presenting on topics from financial aid and Honors College opportunities to the SAT, ACT, and how to create a well-balanced college list. MSON instructor Aaron Lehman and I led three sessions fielding questions from curious parents and students. One of the best parts for me was hearing parents say “wow, I wish there’d been something like [MSON] when I was in high school!”
Porter-Gaud MSON instructor, Aaron Lehman, presenting on MSON at Sophomore College Night
The year concluded with an incredible workshop at Chadwick School (CA) where the addition of a third night afforded new instructors more time to learn from the veteran MSON teachers in attendance, creating and revising assignments on the spot. Sessions included a Q&A with students from the Derryfield, Canterbury, and Prairie schools; Practical AI for Enhancing Instructor Efficiency; Building Community in the Classroom, and more. Together with participants in the Pedagogy and Leadership cohorts, we enjoyed many aspects of Chadwick’s campus from the bird’s eye view of the coast to the sprawling Vanderlip Lawn and even the swimming pool! Though our plans for pickleball fell through, a number of workshop participants squeezed in a kayak adventure visiting the sea lions adjacent to our hotel.
Attendees from the Annual Workshop and MSON’s Leadership and Pedagogy Cohorts
St. Andrew’s MSON instructor, Val Prado, at Chadwick’s pool during a quick break (sporting her new MSON towel)!
Throughout the year, I was frequently grateful for the talents of Operations Manager, Chesley Graham, the insights of Consulting Director of Technology, Britta Buehnehmann, the support of Interim Dean of Instruction, Linda Rodriguez, and the counsel of MSON’s Steering Committee. And it is always a pleasure working with our instructors and academic and technical liaisons; as I frequently note, MSON’s continued success is the result of a collective effort.
