Greetings from the MPH Admissions Office!

August 2022

A Message from the Admissions Office

I hope this message finds you enjoying blissful days of sunshine and outdoor activities with your family and friends. Here at MPH, we can’t wait to welcome our students and families to campus in September. To those who may still be interested in possibly applying for admission, I encourage you to contact us right away. We welcome the opportunity to connect with you and discuss the possibility of your child attending MPH, if not for the upcoming school year, then perhaps for the next. Please reach out to us at [email protected] to take that first step in exploring MPH. In the meantime, we are excited to share with you this “highlight reel” of the Discover MPH Admissions e-newsletter, which captures some of the wonderful stories that appeared in our monthly newsletters sent during the 2021-2022 school year. We hope it serves as an example of the type of engaging and inspiring work done by the incredible students and faculty at MPH. Enjoy!

Nicole Cicoria

Director of Admissions

Save the Date

Newly enrolling families

Please mark your calendars for the Back-to-School Picnic on Thursday, September 1, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. More details to follow.

Things Are a-Buzz in Kindergarten!

Resident beekeeper Amy Critz, executive assistant to the head of school, visited the Kindergarteners in late September for her much-anticipated “Bee Lesson,” during which the class learned about the life cycle of bees, the food they eat, and the fact that, thanks to them, we end up with (delicious!) honey. This year Ms. Critz had pictures of a swarm she had recently corralled with assistance from her partner and a Bobcat bucket loader.

A Good Day to Be Well

On a Friday in late April, Lower Schoolers participated in a Wellness Day, which featured Grades 3–5 making bird houses out of recycled materials in the STEAM Park; Grades K–2 making homemade bird food to go in those bird houses; Grades 3–5 making homemade dog treats to donate to Clear Path for Veterans (and Clear Path's service pup making an appearance!); recycling relay races in the gym; and a community clean-up around campus.

Gummy Bear Science

Grade 3 students can be seen here conducting a science experiment during which they immersed gummy bears in different solutions. Students each had a cup of water and a cup of a solution (Sprite, vinegar, sugar water, or salt water). These young scientists predicted what would happen to the gummy bears when soaked. Would they get bigger or smaller? Would their weight or length change?

Grades 3 and 6 Co-Design 3D Robots

Grade 3 classes spent part of the month of March visiting Grade 6 Technology classes, in which students have been learning to do 3D modeling in a program called TinkerCAD. Each Grade 6 student paired up with a third grader and taught them about the robots. The class challenge was for each pairing to design their own robot and give it accessories and a story.

MPH Model UN Sophomores Work with

Up-and-Coming Middle School Team Members

Middle School MUN Club had a simulation conference on World Hunger. MSMUN is a mix of students from Grades 6 to 8. Students prepared during club time, practicing public speaking and doing research. The club’s leaders are sophomores in MUN, and they organized the simulation.

As delegates in the General Assembly, the up-and-comers discussed, debated, and wrote a resolution to address world hunger. Among their solutions were encouraging hydroponic agriculture, improving distribution systems, and teaching urban rooftop farming to help reduce urban hunger specifically.

Grade 6 Students See Selves in 3D

In April, the Grade 6 math class worked together with the computer literacy class to take measurements of themselves and scale those dimensions down to create a character in a 3D modeling program called Tinkercad. The students rigged their 3D model into an avatar animation using Mixamo, where they then used Screencast to record a story of their avatar and choose the movements for their character.

Students Pitch Innovative Ideas

to MPH's Own Shark Tank

From an app that turns any set of headphones into noise-canceling headphones to a lens adaptor that allows for switching of lenses between camera bodies, MPH students in the Entrepreneurial Studies class presented to a Shark Tank of MPH “investors” in early May. The “investors” included a couple of faculty members as well as a friend of the School.

Projects included:

Ground-2-Mouth | This is a company working with local farmers to supply locally grown food to food deserts.

ProAdapt | A lens adaptor that will allow favorite lenses to fit new or old cameras.

Dog-Fit | Track your dog’s activity, heart rate, and sleep.

EngagedDoor | Automatic door shutting

Air Controller | Gaming controller that has built-in fans to keep your hands cool.

Seta | Noise-canceling headphone app for any type of headphone.

Senior Capstone Projects Return to Campus

On the last Friday in April, seniors presented their capstone projects—an in-person event, open to the MPH community for the first time in three years! Seniors were given the chance to highlight the results of their research journeys, which they initially embarked on last spring. Students from the Class of 2022 researched fetal microchimerism, the future of unmanned space exploration, and contemporary methods for learning Eastern languages. They wrote witty cultural analyses, painstakingly researched policy papers, and reflective personal essays. They filmed documentaries, video essays, and one-take films. They wrote plays and screenplays. They made albums in record studios and in their bedrooms. They interviewed doctors, academics, and jazz musicians. They programmed podcasts, academic curricula, and self-driving cars. They designed affordable clothing styles, performed standup, and waded through the shallows of Cranberry Lake collecting mayflies. They surveyed, sleuthed, drew, designed, predicted, practiced, read, wrote, and revised their way to these culminating presentations.

Senior capstones are one of those MPH traditions that absolutely set the School apart. This is college-level work done on fascinating, complex subjects. A full look at this year's projects can be found HERE.

Hamilton Masterclass

Broadway Guest Artist DeMarius Copes from the Syracuse Hamilton Tour visited MPH for a masterclass in the dance studio this week, and students got to practice the real moves from the show.

World Languages Week

From French to Spanish to Latin to Chinese, the last week of April proved an eventful World Language Week at the School, with the Phoenix the site of daily club activities related to each language.

Community Video Tribute to Our Seniors: Produced “In House” and Enjoyed by All!

Our own in-house, student-led production team, Light & Magic, shared this tribute to the Class of 2022 at the All-School Meeting in mid-May.

From All-School Meetings to concert to highlights to science fair coverage, the Light & Magic team does amazing work. It's worth checking their website for a review of the 2021-2022 school year.