Dear MPH Community,

I’d like to take a Mindful Pause Here, to take stock of the last six weeks and to share some of the inspiring ways in which our school community has responded to these challenging circumstances.
To ensure the health, safety, and well-being of our students and all members of the MPH community, we took proactive measures and transitioned the academic curriculum to a distance-learning format in every division. Those early days could have been paralyzing, given the fear and uncertainty of a global pandemic, and yet our faculty and staff, steadfast in their commitment to our students and families, responded with determination and skill in record time.

 In the days and weeks that followed, our students, parents, and teachers showed uncommon flexibility, patience, and adaptability, as the unfolding news revealed that the “stay-at-home” orders would last longer than had been originally predicted. This prolonged separation threatened to compromise an essential, though largely “invisible” part of the MPH curriculum. A great deal of social-emotional learning happens for students during a typical school day through in-person connections with peers and teachers in hallways, classrooms, and studios, as well as on playgrounds, on fields, and on stage. These connections are vital not only to overall good health and well-being, but to the brain’s ability to integrate learning.

With this fact in mind, MPH offered four days of optional Spring Break programming to “keep the doors open,” providing plenty of opportunities for all members of the community to check in and connect with others as the “stay-at-home” protocol continued. For many, Spring Break offered a much-needed chance to unplug from technology, to rest, and to catch up with schoolwork where needed. The first round of surveys provided valuable feedback from students and families, which allowed us to make informed refinements to our curriculum and schedule to ensure a healthy emphasis on both content and connection. 

At all times, we seek to balance our rigorous academic curriculum with opportunities for healthy social connections and personal growth, which will ensure that we not only survive the current circumstances but thrive in the midst of them. We know that connecting and caring for others is a proven way to reduce stress and that the best antidotes to anxiety and depression are finding meaning and purpose.  Here is a small sampling of how, both as individuals and collectively, MPH is rising to this challenge, leading with resilience and resolve, to serve and spread good will:
 
  • Several students connected by phone individually with alumni from both Manlius School and Pebble Hill School to chat about their experiences during COVID-19 and to share perspectives on their alma mater.  As one student observed, “I feel that this was a great experience that other students should try and do, because it lets you talk to someone you would never imagine talking to.” An alumnus noted, “From my perspective it was a great call! I felt that we found a way to connect on a number of topics, and I hope she came away feeling the same way.”
 
  • Knowing that our international students are far from home, faculty members assembled individual care packages and delivered them to the students’ host-family homes.
 
  • Last Friday’s Carnivale Gala offered a wonderful occasion for the MPH family to gather, to enjoy a relaxing evening of music and laughter, and to take good care of one another and of the School. In the words of event co-chairs Diane and Mark Wladis, “We have never been so profoundly grateful to be part of this community. Now, more than ever, we need to connect, to support, and to lift one another up.”  
 
 
  • Some of our craftier faculty, staff, families, and students have been putting their talents to good use sewing homemade masks to share with members of our school community as well as with volunteers who are distributing food to our neighbors in need. 
 
  • Some of our 8th-Grade students are connecting with one another and with their elderly friends at The Nottingham, sharing and making history at the same time.
 
  • Supporting those first responders who serve us so well at times of great need, we have provided DeWitt firefighters access to the MPH gym to exercise and reduce stress.
 
  •  Some of our parents have been coordinating with local hospitals to assess the current needs and rally support.
 
  • Some of our families from China have donated masks to MPH and to our local medical community.
 
  • Other students have decorated letters to contribute to a banner to hang on the School’s fence that says, “Thank you, Helpers!”

And the list goes on and on! In response to the current crisis, guided by our core values, the MPH community is raising spirits; sharing kindness, creativity, and care; and making connections.  Our students and community are building resilience and forging character strengths that have always been at the heart of the MPH experience. 

Next week, I will share information about plans for the balance of the spring term, including financial considerations for MPH and our families. Best wishes to all for a good weekend, and to our Muslim families and friends, Ramadan Mubarak!

Sincerely,
 
Dave McCusker
Head of School