Spirit Week & Home Coming Events

Friday, 24 September 2010

Greetings Upper School Parents:

What a glorious day for part-two of Freshman Orientation! Led by Deb Spiegel (Freshman Dean), the Class of 2014 was accompanied by a robust group of Seniors and faculty chaperones. Christie Kemper (School Counselor) led them through an interactive group dynamics exercise, after which everyone took to the river for a pleasant afternoon paddle. Although some canoers returned “more soggy” than others, the spirits of the entire group was outstanding when they returned to campus.

The welcomed return of Katrina Kittle, our forth visiting author as part of the Upper School Shared Summer Read, made for a fabulous day on Thursday! Friday evening’s parent event with the author, sponsored by the MVS Parents Association, was well attended by both MVS and outside fans of Ms. Kittle. Great appreciation goes to Susan Strong for her organization and attention to details in guiding the MVS Visiting Authors Series.

A reminder that Monday, 27 September at 7:PM is the College Admissions: An Insider’s View seminar, presented by Emory University. Intended for parents and Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors, this informative seminar will present topics associated with the admission review processes at competitive admission colleges. In addition to fielding questions from the audience, the seminar will include the opportunity to review actual applications to Emory, followed by discussion of why student applicants were admitted or denied admission. For questions and to RSVP for this event, please contact Colin Dunnigan (Director of College Counseling).

Next week brings Spirit Week activities, supported by Student Government, leading up to a bevy of Homecoming events next weekend. We will have “theme” dress-up-days in the Upper School to further ignite MVS school spirit, with the daily theme descriptions as follows:

Monday – “Comfy Day” (“relaxed attire,” including sweats, pajamas, etc)
Tuesday – “Salad Dressing Day” (French, Italian, thousand islands, etc apparel)
Wednesday – “Twin Day” (dress up to match a friend)
Thursday – “Jers-day” (wear your favorite sports team attire)
Friday – “Red & Blue Day” (show-off your MVS pride!)

Thursday, the Diversity Council has planned an upper school talent showcase, during an extended lunch period in the US Commons. Acts range from singing and dancing to the quirky and unusual.

Friday concludes with the all-school pep rally at 2:15PM in the Lane Gym, including the parade of athletes, Jazz Bands, and Marti the Ram!

Friday evening at 7:PM is A Night of Duke Ellington, showcasing the musical talents of our Upper and Middle School Jazz Bands. Please join us in the Truslow Upper School Commons for a night of cool jazz stylings, directed by Ross Williams (Director of Music).

Description and registration details of the full array of Homecoming events, including registration for Run for the Rams (free of charge, simply register on-line), can be found on the Homecoming tab on the MVS website.

Saturday evening is the Upper School Homecoming Dance, from 8-11:PM at the Hunt and Polo Club, sponsored by the Student Government. The Homecoming Dance is open to all students in the Upper School; tickets will be on sale next week for $20 per person; tickets will not be available for purchase at the door the night of the event. As with most MVS dances, the majority of students attend in groups or individually, rather than formally “asking dates.” My accustomed “Homecoming dance expectations letter” will be sent to you mid-week, encouraging parents to openly discuss any questions or concerns with your children (and their friends, as well as parents of friends) in the hopes of keeping all of our students safe.

I continue to post all letters and reminders regarding activities and initiatives in the Upper School on Wagner’s MVS Blog http://wagnersmvsblog.blogspot.com/. In the interest of encouraging active communication, I hope you will follow along and add your comments, questions, and suggestions.

With sincere regards,


Sam Wagner
Head of Upper School