Around Campus News

Imagine a typical Middle School classroom. Well, a typical classroom during COVID.  There is a collection of students "in the room", some at home, some on campus. They are working on an identity exercise, thinking about gender, family structure, siblings, and race. There is much intersectionality and diversity. One distinctive omission that stands out to the teachers: many, if not all, of the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) students list their race as the number one way they identify. 

Not a single white student lists their race….Interesting, yet not surprising.  

As we prepare to honor and reflect upon Martin Luther King’s activism and legacy this month for MLK Day, we want to share some resources and information about our school.  Below is a link to service opportunities in the greater Philadelphia area.  Click the link below to find an organization you and your family may connect with on Monday, January 18.  We also want to share a bit of important MPFS history and how we work year round to engage our students in conversations about justice, equity, and inclusivity... 

We invite our community to read this impactful statement from Media Fellowship House regarding the recent events at the Capitol on January 6. MPFS is proud to partner with Media Fellowship House on several different Social Justice projects this year. See below to read their full statement...

I was watching the tent company remove the tents Monday morning ahead of the anticipated snowstorm (one of the many lessons learned over the past ten months is that even the good tents cannot handle a substantial snowfall). For me it was a true moment of reflection. Wasn't it only a week ago that we had these installed? It may have been three months but it sure feels like a week ago... And then I began to reflect on how far we have come during this time. It really is surreal, impressive, almost incomprehensible in some ways... 

Thank you for your patience as we have worked through the difficult decision regarding the week after the holiday break. Our main goal this year has been and continues to be keeping the students in school as much as possible and for as long as possible. Sometimes those two goals work to  support one another, and sometimes they conflict. In the case of the week after the holiday break, I believe the goals conflict... 

Thank you so much for all of the cooperation the week after Thanksgiving; it will take us working together in that fashion in order to keep Covid out of our school as much as possible. As we approach the Holiday break, I have a number of things I want to update you on... 

Our wonderful Friend, Pat Hunt, is 100 years old on Monday, December 7th. In true Pat fashion, to honor this Centenarian extraordinaire, her family wishes for friends to join them and make a gift to MPFS for financial aid. Long an advocate for the school's dedication to creating a community of life-long learners who grow in a nurturing environment filled with both academic vigor, and rich opportunities for character development...

Between last week and this, the CHOP Policy lab (CPL) has changed their stance quite a bit as a result of the increase in transmission rates (in the greater communities mainly, but in some schools as well). "Unfortunately, overall infection rates in children are now outpacing those of adults in many areas of the country..."

Dear Friends,

I hope this finds you well, in a good state of mind regardless of your political leaning, and enjoying some consistent days without the cold and rain. I have a few things I want to share with you this week pertaining mostly to two calls I participated in this week, one with the CHOP PolicyLab and one with the Director of the Chester County Health Department...

On Thursday, October 15, Media Fair Trade honored MPFS with the Fair Trade Scholastic Award at the Media Borough Council Meeting. As you may know, Media is America's First Fair Trade Town and MPFS became one of four schools in the nation first certified as a Fair Trade School in 2014...