April 25, 2024
from Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School
In the early days of flight training, pilots learn an important lesson: “Aviate. Navigate. Communicate.” This is a mantra used to teach pilots a hierarchy of tasks to be followed in order of priority during flight operations, especially in emergency or high-workload situations. When I first heard this phrase, it occurred to me that it is not unlike the guiding principles of emergency preparedness at MPA—focusing on ensuring safety, understanding the situation, and maintaining clear communication.
“Aviate” prioritizes safety and stability and translates to securing the immediate safety of students and staff. It means taking immediate action to protect everyone from harm. Once safety is secured, the next step is to “Navigate,” assess the situation and navigate through the emergency. This involves understanding the nature of the emergency, its scale, and potential impacts. It requires activating the school’s emergency response plan, determining the best course of action, and making decisions based on the information available at the time. It is crucial to “Communicate” in a crisis to inform and coordinate so that community members (including parents) are clear about what is happening and what needs to be done to manage the situation effectively, reduce panic, and enable a coordinated response.
Successfully managing a crisis or emergency requires a structured approach, ensuring that the most critical elements are addressed in a sequence that prioritizes safety, efficient response, and effective communication. This was put to the test this week when two wholly unrelated medical incidents occurred within 24 hours. I must say that this is highly unusual, and it is the first time in my over 30 years of experience that it has occurred. I’d like to provide some context and walk you through our response. Read More
Thank you to everyone who helped to make the MPA 2024 Spring Auction: Together We Can Move Mountains a resounding success. Because of our community’s generosity, we raised $362,194, including $198,969 for this year’s Fund A Need, 
While we wish everyone could join us for the MPA Spring Auction: Together We Can Move Mountains event this year, we’re happy that every supporter can join in from afar!
Get Your MPA Merch
from Mark Segal, Upper School director
from Dr. Jenn Milam, Middle School director
from Jennifer Le Varge, Lower School director
Last Thursday, the Parents Association hosted Cultural Celebration Day, an evening celebrating the diversity of backgrounds at MPA with food, music, dance and community. Some of the highlights of the event were beautiful dance performances by MPA parents and students, colorfully decorated tables set up by the hosts sharing their culture and cuisine, the ever-popular henna artist, Bilkis and Boba tea vendor, Treats. It was wonderful to experience the energy and engagement from community members. We hope to see you all next year!
from Dr. Bill Hudson, head of school
from Dr. Bill Hudson, head of school