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Middle School Division News

November 12, 2026

from Paul Errickson, Middle School director

As we head toward Thanksgiving, I want to share a few things happening in the Middle School. One is a small challenge you can join from home.

The Gratitude Challenge

I recently listened to a Harvard Business Review conversation with researchers Adam Grant and Francesca Gino on “the big benefits of a little thanks.” Two findings stood out to me. When people are thanked, they’re about twice as likely to help again. And the people giving thanks benefit too: they feel more connected and more positive. 

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So I challenged our faculty to send one specific thank-you to a colleague each week until Thanksgiving. Some advisories might try it with students as well.

I’d love for you to join us at home. A few ideas:

  • Make it specific. “Thank you for unloading the dishwasher without being asked” means more than a general “thanks."
  • Notice the everyday helpers. A coach, a bus driver, a neighbor, a grandparent, a sibling. Who helps your family in ways that are easy to take for granted?
  • Try a weekly gratitude moment. Around the dinner table or in the car, each person names one thing from the week they’re grateful for. Research suggests once a week keeps it fresh and meaningful.  We used to hold this practice with our girls and, while they didn’t always show their appreciation, they did share how much they learned from it. 
  • Write it down. A handwritten note is a lost art. If your child writes even one this month, it could make someone’s day.
Dream Big, Do Right: Inspiration from Our Friends in Kyiv

At Wednesday morning’s Middle School Meeting, I shared a video with our students from Pechersk School International (PSI) in Kyiv, Ukraine. PSI is a school close to my heart. Shortly after the war began, its students and teachers spent time with the school where I was working in Warsaw, Poland. Our communities became close. Dr. Isakova from PSI even shared desk space with my wife, and I had the privilege of teaching some of PSI’s students. One of those students is featured in this video, and seeing them again filled me with pride. Watching their community carry on with courage, kindness, and hope taught me a lot about what a school can be for its people.

In the video, you will learn about an award they earned for their community service efforts last year. You can watch it here. 

I challenged our students to Dream Big and Do Right by doing something small for others. Even when our own lives feel full of homework, practices, rehearsals, and everything else, there’s always room for a small act of kindness. That might be holding a door, helping a classmate who’s stuck, writing a thank-you note, or checking on a friend who seems down. Students in much harder circumstances are choosing to show up for one another. Our students can too.

This goes hand in hand with our Gratitude Challenge. Please ask your child about the video, and talk together about one small thing your family could do for someone else this month.

Middle School Play: The Curious Case of the Cottingley Fairies

We are excited for another season of LIVE theatre at MPA! The Theatre Department begins the year with the Middle School play in the Black Box: The Curious Case of the Cottingley Fairies. Twenty-four Middle School actors and over twenty crew members from Middle and Upper School have been involved in this production.
 
Tickets are on sale now for the following days/times:

  • Friday, November 13: 7 PM
  • Saturday, November 14: 2 PM
  • Sunday, November 15: 2 PM
  • Friday, November 20: 7 PM
  • Saturday, November 21: 2 PM

Purchase your tickets here! 

A Reminder About Smartwatches

As a reminder, the Middle School has a no-cell-phone policy during the school day, and this applies to smartwatches used as phones. Students may wear smart watches, but they should not use them to call, text, or message during the school day.

Recently, families and students have been contacting each other through smartwatches during school hours. We understand the impulse, especially when plans change. But it puts students and our teachers in a difficult position. It pulls students out of learning, and it means important information can reach a child without the adults at school knowing.

If you need to reach your child during the day, please call the Middle School office. We’re always happy to pass along a message. Students who need to reach home can also call from the office. Thank you for helping us keep the school day focused and connected.

A Conversation with Our 8th Graders About AI

Recently, we noticed more students using AI tools on their schoolwork, so we met with our 8th graders to talk it through. We focused on three messages, and I’d welcome your help reinforcing them at home:

  1. You learn by making mistakes. We don’t expect students’ work to be perfect. Mistakes, rough drafts, and wrong turns are where real learning happens, and we want to see their thinking, not a polished product.
  2. Writing is supposed to be hard, so ask for help. The struggle of putting ideas into words is how students grow as thinkers. When it feels hard, that’s a sign to reach out to a teacher, an advisor, or a peer, not to hand the work to a tool.
  3. Ask permission first. Students need their teacher’s permission before using AI on any assignment. Some teachers may invite AI use for specific purposes. When in doubt, ask first.

You might ask your child about this conversation over dinner, or about how they see AI fitting into their learning. Their answers might surprise you.

Thank you, as always, for your partnership. I’m grateful for each of you and for the students we share.

Fall Campaign

At MPA, possibility is everywhere. It is in our classrooms, on our stages and athletic fields, in the spaces where students gather, and in the people who help each student discover who they are and what they can become. Your generosity helps make those possibilities possible. From November 15-21, highlighted by Give to the Max Day on November 19, every gift is an opportunity to make an impact. Please join members of the MPA community next Thursday, November 19, at 2:20 PM in the Nicholson Center for the annual Lip Sync Assembly, a storied and special celebration of community. Learn more by clicking here. 

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