Dear MPH Community,

 

It seems only yesterday we were looking forward to a slightly slower schedule and some time with family and friends over the summer, but here we are in the middle of August, the first day of classes less than a month away. In my household we are busy packing up our son as he heads off this week to his sophomore year of college, and over the weekend we drove to Maine to collect our MPH rising-senior daughter from her summer camp job so she could begin MPH fall sports practices today.

It has been a busy summer! As always, our summer programs were packed to the gills, with children of various ages engaged in a variety of both academic and enrichment classes-everything from driver's education to theatre to day camp. Many of our own families, as well as a large number of children who don't attend MPH during the regular school year, take advantage of this, and it is an important part of our educational mission. For them it is a great experience; for those of us not directly involved in the programs, it is nice to have kids on a campus that otherwise, would seem pretty empty. Kudos to Director of Community Programs Sue Leahey and Assistant Director of Community Programs Rebecca Rhody for the great programs they assembled and managed this year. I've seen notes from several participating families praising the quality of the staff and programs.

We have been busy preparing for the fall. That means things as mundane as moving the odd office or classroom from here to there, but also the excitement of recruiting several new teachers to fill both anticipated and unanticipated slots. We have, for example, hired talented new teachers for Mathematics, First Grade, Physical Education, Academic Support, and Advanced Placement Biology. More specific information about these and other new hires will follow in the coming weeks. We are now interviewing candidates for the few remaining positions and will be ready to go in September. We also expect to fill a few non-teaching staffing holes in the coming weeks and months, including a new Alumni Relations and Advancement Associate. I appreciate the excellent work being done by Division Heads Kendall Hoekstra and John Stegeman and by Kelly Rose and Jennifer Neuner in the Kreitzberg Family Alumni Lodge as they recruit and interview candidates for these positions.

Enrollment over the summer is notoriously difficult to track. There are always a few students whose family circumstances take them away from us, and we are sad to lose them. At the same time, we are excited to have enrolled new families in the last couple of months. Director of Admissions Nicole Cicoria has worked hard to keep that process moving and to track the changes. At this point we are projecting approximately 315 students in September. While our intent is to increase that number substantially over the next couple of years, it still is considerably higher than last winter's projections. We are grateful to all the families who have shown continued trust in the School as we move into a new school year.

A quick word about the financial situation of the School. As we announced earlier, thanks to the $3 million raised from our loyal constituency and friends, we start school year 2015-16 with no short-term debt and, from a cash flow perspective, a balanced budget. There is, of course, a mortgage on the campus property, but that is a long-term obligation. Support has continued over the summer, including one extraordinary gift and at least one other significant one. I will have more to say about these at a later date.

Since the first day of my first year of school, through my twenty-four years as a full-time student and 36 years as a teacher and administrator, I always have found the start of the school year a time of pleasant anticipation. There is the opportunity to renew old friendships and embark on new ones, to welcome new colleagues and greet returning ones, to trade stories about summer adventures, to marvel at how much students have grown. There is always a sense of starting afresh and learning new things. The only comparable thing for this baseball fanatic is the start of the baseball season, when hopes begin anew. For me, the year does not begin in January, but in February (Spring Training) and September. As I write these words, I feel that anticipation even now.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Jim Dunaway

Interim Head of School

Manlius Pebble Hill School