Early October Reminders

Wednesday, 7 October, 2009

Greetings Upper School Parents:

Autumn, with its wind and cooler temperatures, has certainly arrived in Dayton! Having reached the mid-term mark of the Fall Trimester, I thought I would send a couple reminders for the week.

This Friday is an important deadline for upper school students since Immersion Applications (singed by a parent) need to be handed in to Academic Advisors by 3:30PM. Since all Freshmen participate in the Stepping Out Immersion, 9th grade students need not submit an application.

For all Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors, as is mentioned on the application:
The selection process for Immersion placements pays very close attention to the written student goals, outlooks, and pre-planning articulated in each Immersion application.
• Students should dedicate equal and genuine time to addressing each of their three Immersion requests. Separate sheets of paper can be attached to an Immersion Application.
• To ensure balance of options, each student’s Immersion Application should include at least one local option.
• If a student is proposing an Independent Immersion, that option must be designated as the student’s first choice, due to the necessary details in planning (by the student and the Independent Study Committee) a successful Independent project.
• While “seniority” might be an aspect considered in the Immersion placement process, it is not the most important priority. Students should include persuasive details in each of their written requests.

The revised description of the Caving: Rocks, Ropes, and Relative Wind Immersion is now included in the Complete Immersion Booklet on the MVS website .

This Friday evening, the MVS chapter of Amnesty International will host screening of BLOOD DIAMOND in the Alumni Theatre. The film begins at 7:00PM and admission is $5.00, with the proceeds going towards future Amnesty International initiatives. Popcorn and water will be served.

The recently formed student group Dayton Youth United, which arose from an extended interest from the Junior Leadership Dayton Program and last year’s Habitat for Humanity Immersion, successfully raised over $1,100 during fundraising efforts over Homecoming week. Their goal is to pioneer and fund the future construction of an MVS sponsored habitat house in the Dayton area. Stay tuned for further up-dates on this exciting initiative!

Expect to receive an e.mail from me on Friday afternoon confirming that mid-term comments and grades are “live” and available via MyBackpack.

With sincere regards,


Sam Wagner
Head of Upper School