Head's Weekly Message — April 30, 2021
Dear Mayfield Senior School Parents,
Thank you for your prayers and words of support as our community grieves from the death of our dear friend, colleague and teacher Hwalin Chou. As many of you know Hwalin was an exceptional educator—beloved by her students. We are planning a virtual prayer service to honor Hwalin’s life and legacy, and the family has planned funeral services that will be held next Friday. This information has been shared with her former students whom she loved so much.
I know that our Mother-Daughter liturgy on Sunday will bring comfort to many of us too. Just being able to worship together as a community will be so healing. I look forward to seeing you for a beautiful celebration on our beloved campus.
This past Wednesday was a beautiful day too as we welcomed all our freshmen together on campus for their class retreat. I can’t tell you how my spirits were raised by the joy and enthusiasm that our youngest Cubs expressed. The Class of 2024 is very special, and I’m so looking forward to watching them grow over the next three years into the young women God wants them to be.
I’m also really looking forward to welcoming all of our Seniors back to campus for their last two weeks of classes. I’m anticipating a lot of fun and laughter (especially in their outdoor Senior lounge), and all the amazing energy they will bring. Senior parents—please ask your daughters to complete this form for our planning purposes and encourage them to participate. We really want to see them!
As we continue to celebrate the Class of 2021, I want to take a moment to thank Samantha Pieper for all her dedicated service to Mayfield Senior School and to introduce our new Co-Director of College Counseling—Amy Lareau. Amy comes to Mayfield from Deerfield Academy with deep experience from both the college and high school sides of admissions—scroll down to read more about her background. I can’t wait for you to meet Amy in person in the fall!
Finally—we are very grateful that so many of our community members have already received the COVID-19 vaccine. To make things really easy we would like to offer the opportunity for a vaccine clinic on campus. Please complete this survey so that we can gauge interest—more information will follow.
And for a closing treat—we invite you to watch this video celebrating our amazing “Mission-Driven” benefit. Thanks very much to all who participated making this fun evening so successful.
With Love and Gratitude,
Kate Morin
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Welcome, Amy Lareau!
Amy Lareau will join Lynn Maloney as Co-Director of College Counseling at Mayfield in August. A graduate of Bates College, Maine with a major in anthropology and a minor in theatre, she has admission experience at Paul Smith's College in New York and Colorado College. Amy has worked as a college advisor at Deerfield Academy, a co-ed boarding school in Massachusetts, for the past seven years.
She demonstrated a passion for being more than “just” a college advisor by becoming an integral part of the school community through various activities, such as advising the yearbook staff, chaperoning a month-long language immersion program in France, coaching JV girls ice hockey, leading outdoor excursions, moderating the ethical foods club, and participating in a faculty performance of “Boarding School Musical” (we see the Mayfield Talent Show in her future!).
In our search and interview process, Amy stood out as an approachable, knowledgeable, thoughtful and encouraging advocate for students to find their right fit in the college admissions process. Amy and Lynn have already started to work on a plan to make her transition to Mayfield a smooth one, but we know she is ready to hit the ground running on day one with her wealth of experience and enthusiasm.
Established in 1931, Mayfield Senior School in Pasadena, CA is a Catholic, independent, college preparatory school for young women grades 9-12. Noted for its rigorous academic program, which includes 28 Advanced Placement and Honors courses, Mayfield’s curriculum is underscored by a philosophy of educating the “whole child,” which also encourages commitment to and excellence in the arts, athletics, community service and spiritual growth. The nurturing environment at Mayfield Senior School allows each student to flourish in an atmosphere of personal attention.
