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Spotlight on the Student Experience: Highlights from MSON’s Annual Workshop
On Wednesday, June 21, an enthusiastic group of both veteran and new MSON community members gathered at Severn School for the Annual Workshop which focused, this year, on the types of learning experiences that add value to students’ lives. Running concurrently were...
The Year in Review: Looking Back Before Moving Forward
Dr. Ursin takes a moment to appreciate the beautiful spaces at Porter-Gaud School.I have had a blast in my first year as MSON's executive director! When I reflect on everything I've experienced, I'm thankful for the warmth and sincerity with which I was welcomed,...
Collaborating Across Campuses: MSON Introduces Yearlong Cohorts
2023-24 MSON Cohort Participants joined by leadership coach/facilitator, Alexis Stern, and MSON Executive Director, Reanna Ursin.One highlight of MSON courses is the opportunity to learn with classmates from around the country, with students frequently referencing the...
New Video for a New Age!
If you’ve visited MSON’s homepage recently, you may have noticed our new video, “Defining Moments in Online Learning.” When MSON first launched, our website featured a video addressing questions and concerns of the time: What are the benefits of online learning? What...
Next Executive Director Announced
We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Reanna Ursin will join our community as MSON’s next Executive Director, beginning July 1, 2022. An educator, scholar, and diversity, equity, and inclusion practitioner, Reanna comes to MSON from the Westminster Schools in...
Waynflete School Shares the Unique Value of MSON
The following article appears on p.12 of the March edition of Waynflete Magazine. It is titled, "Smart Technology" and was written by Rand Ardell.Download a PDF version of the magazine.Given the prevalence of online classes today—with teachers and students...
The Curtain Rises on Spring!
This fall, my daughter had her theater debut, acting, singing, and dancing in The Sound of Music. Her joy on stage—palpable even with a mask—reminded me of the years I spent in high school and college in the theater. Ultimately, I fell in love with technical theater,...
Resetting School Tuition: A Conversation with Brownell Talbot’s Head of School
Claire Goldsmith's Zoom interview with Brownell Talbot's Head of School Kristi Gibbs can be found below in video and audio only formats. Brownell Talbot, the only independent school in the state of Nebraska (and an MSON member) has just announced it will be cutting...
Dr. Diane Hotten-Somers – The Derryfield School, Manchester, NH
This edition of Teacher Spotlight shines on Dr. Diane Hotten-Somers, English Faculty and Gender Equity Advisor, The Derryfield School. Before delving into her interview, Dr. Hotten-Somers shared that she lives “in New Hampshire with her fabulous husband, Dr. Sam...
Abby Wagner — Prairie School, Racine, WI
This edition of Student Spotlight shines on Prairie School’s Abby Wagner. Abby connected with the professor of her textbook during “the most difficult course” of her high school career, one that got her excited about Constitutional Law. Tell me about yourself! What...
It’s Been a Year of Zoom and Gloom. Here’s How We Can Build Something Better.
Photo Credit: Allison Shelley for American Education: Images of Teachers and Students in ActionIts been a year of Zoom and gloom. Here's how we can build something better was originally published by Chalkbeat, a nonprofit news organization covering public education....
The Questions That Drive Us
As a child, well before Google (and even before Netscape—remember that?), I would go straight from the dinner table to our family encyclopedia. My head was filled with questions. Some came from school assignments (“What was the historical context of Jane Eyre?”) and...
Qiya Zhang – Mounds Park Academy
This edition of Student Spotlight shines on Mounds Park Academy’s Qiya Zhang. Qiya (right) at Mounds Park Academy homecoming with a friend.“I am so sad this class is ending,” Mounds Park Academy sophomore Qiya Zhang wrote to her MSON teacher, Ben Taylor, this winter....
Freya Haque – Maret School
This edition of Student Spotlight shines on Maret School’s Freya Haque. Freya shares her experiences in two MSON classes authentically and poingantly in the video below. Freya also describes her experience as making her feel more “confident” about classes in...
MSON Course “Literature of Civil Rights in the Modern US” Visits Civil Rights Museum
Linda Rodriguez of St. Andrew’s School currently teaches MSON’s “A Nation Divided: Literature of the Civil Rights Movement in the Modern US. Next year, she will also teach “Global Voices of Oppression: Literature for Social Justice.” She shares a recent experience in...