{"id":7262,"date":"2017-04-06T14:35:19","date_gmt":"2017-04-06T19:35:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/?p=7262"},"modified":"2024-11-15T08:20:54","modified_gmt":"2024-11-15T14:20:54","slug":"assignment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/2017\/04\/06\/assignment\/","title":{"rendered":"Head\u2019s Message: I’d Like to Give You an Assignment"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School\"\"<\/em><\/p>\n

Whether your family traveled or stayed local, I hope\u00a0you had an enjoyable spring break. It\u2019s been wonderful to see the school come alive again after two weeks of a near-empty building.\u00a0 While breaks are a great time for me to delve into projects that require focused attention, I miss the hustle and bustle of a busy school day. In between work days, I did take some time off to spend with my daughter Ari. Upon the recommendation of friends, we spent one afternoon touring the Mill City Museum on the river in downtown Minneapolis. It has been on my list of things to do in the Twin Cities for some time, but without the urging of friends, we probably wouldn\u2019t have made the visit.<\/p>\n

Family and friends can not only play a role in choosing a place to visit or a new restaurant, but they can also be instrumental when choosing a school. While new families come to MPA through a wide variety of channels including online research, community events, direct mail, advertisements, etc. the most important way they come to us is through their personal relationships with you, our current community members. Your friends, neighbors, family members, and colleagues are the people who are most likely to find MPA to be the right fit for their family. This is only natural since you are likely to share similar values related to your children and their education.<\/p>\n

According to MPA\u2019s market research and a National Association of Independent School (NAIS) parent survey, personal networks are the most important factor considered when parents choose an independent school. Eighty percent of parents responded that they had used \u201cfriends, other parents, or alumni\u201d when researching and choosing a school.\u00a0 As the school year draws to a close, our Admission season is reaching its peak.\u00a0 Our new marketing campaign has been wildly successful, and while the interest in our school is nearly double what it was last year at this time, it is important that we continue to connect with families who will find MPA the right fit.<\/p>\n

Note that these are, by nature, generous conversations. You are trying to help the prospective family find a home and a community as much as you are trying to help MPA. Even insistent encouragement, if phrased properly, will be treated by a friend as an act of kindness\u2014particularly once they have visited. The Office of Admission hears families saying again and again, \u201cThank you so much for not giving up on us\u2014this has been the best decision we\u2019ve ever made.\u201d<\/p>\n

If I may, I\u2019d like to give you an assignment. In my vast powers (note my humor!) as head of school of MPA, I have declared April to be \u201cShare MPA Month.\u201d Please consider making a concerted effort to share MPA with a friend, family member, neighbor or colleague. Here are a few ideas:<\/p>\n