Parent Preview took place last Tuesday and Wednesday. One of the best parts of this annual event is listening to the student panels we assemble to speak about their experiences at the school. With help from the class deans and me, the Admission Office puts together two different groups and asks the students to highlight some of their favorite aspects of the Upper School. All four grades are represented, and we try to include kids with as many different interests as possible, too. As emcee, I ask the students a few general questions, and then we open it up to the audience for some unscripted Q&A.

Among the common threads I heard from the two panels, the following stand out in my mind:

• Students appreciate being able to do multiple things at CA--in academics, arts, athletics and extra-curriculars. They understand that the school will support and encourage them to be multi-faceted people.
• Students like the opportunity to intermingle with other grade levels and pointed to social events, athletic teams, theatre productions, choirs and art classes as places where this happens most seamlessly.
• CA is a friendly, welcoming place where new students can integrate quickly
• The overall homework load is about right to help students learn the material; some nights may be very busy but it gets balanced out by other lighter nights; our rotating schedule helps spread out the homework as well.
• Students value the small class sizes and close interactions with their teachers.

In typical teenager fashion (OK, maybe adults do this too), what students say they value can also be the source of their complaints. On the panel they might speak to the merits of challenge and homework and keeping busy, but we know in real life they all have their moments of stress and disappointment. Things are not always rosy in an adolescent's life (nor should we expect them to be), whether at CA or anywhere else. Still, given that we surround them with positive role models, motivated peers, outstanding resources, and multiple opportunities, they are more likely than not to have a really great experience here. The pride and gratitude they feel about being at CA is something that always emerges in this kind of setting, and I emerge feeling a renewed sense of appreciation for the wonderful environment in which I work.

Many thanks to the two dozen students who represented CA so well on the panels, and kudos as well to the many parent volunteers who enthusiastically shepherded prospective parents around campus. We could not run Parent Preview during two school days without you!