Head's Weekly Message — Aug. 27, 2021
Dear Mayfield Senior School Community,
Welcome to the 2021-22 school year!
I hope you and your families had a fabulous summer—staying safe and healthy with some time for some much-needed fun and relaxation. My husband Skip and I spent several wonderful weeks on the East Coast visiting with our children and grandchildren. It was such a gift to be able to watch our baby boy Heath (almost six months) grow and develop before our eyes, and our granddaughter Maddie (going on three) continues to be amazing in every way. We also spent time preparing for our youngest son’s wedding (postponed from last year) which we will celebrate in September on the Jersey Shore. As you can imagine—I’ve been spending a lot of time counting my blessings!
While I was away our community was blessed by an almost miraculous transformation on campus. Under the incredible leadership of Facilities Director Connie Peters, the first phase of our Strub Hall renovation project is nearing completion. We will welcome our students back to some beautiful new spaces, including completely transformed visual art studios, an amazing new window-lined classroom in the library, and my personal favorite, a gorgeous sun-filled Senior Lounge. In particular, I just can’t wait for the beloved Class of 2022 to start reconnecting and making memories together in their new home.
While the construction crew will be putting some finishing touches on a few administrative spaces on the third level of Strub over the next few weeks, they will soon move into Phase 2 of our project, which entails a refurbishment of the offices on the top floor of our building. Luckily, no classrooms will be directly below this work so we do not anticipate that it will be disruptive—another blessing!
Despite the busyness of our renovation project and the restrictions imposed by the pandemic our summer studies program exceeded expectations—overseen by the expert leadership of Emily Goodell ’99 and Jade Stewart ’09. A record number of our students participated in fully in-person credit and enrichment classes. Many of our athletes were also able to return to play on campus thanks to the care and hard work of our Athletic Director, Steve Bergen, Athletic Trainer Jayme Harrold and School Nurse Cathy Cota. Nurse Cota has also worked tirelessly over the summer to make sure that we are doing everything possible to prepare our campus and community for a safe and healthy school year. Please visit our COVID-19 page on our website for up-to-date information.
During the summer our faculty and staff engaged in some meaningful and important professional development, including some wonderful cross-curricular collaborative projects. I’m particularly thrilled that a team of veteran educators came together to plan our new Ethnic Studies elective—a wonderful addition to our course offerings.
Last week we welcomed our new faculty and staff with several days of orientation. We are truly blessed that six amazing educators have joined our community. We have added three new members to our arts department—both Jennifer Saparzadeh and Tim Lewis will be teaching visual arts, while Paul Cales will be our new technical director for productions, teaching technical theater in our conservatory program, and working with Maryanne Householder, who has taken over as chair of the department. We also added two new members to our World Languages Department—Spanish teacher Mirabel Ruiz and Latin teacher Elliott Piros. In addition, Boyoung Kim has joined our Theology Department. We were particularly fortunate to welcome home Morgan Shaner ’11, who will be covering our Chemistry and AP Chemistry classes until November, while Alli Akagi enjoys the last weeks of her maternity leave with her adorable baby boy.
We also welcomed two new staff members: our new Co-Director of College Counseling, Amy Lareau, and our new School Counselor, Erika Mastrobuono. I am also very excited to be working with Cassandra Gonzales in her new role as Director of Justice, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. We are looking forward to introducing everyone to you in person at Back to School Night on Thursday, Sept. 23 along with several community members who began in the middle of last year, including Lyn Beecher (Learning Specialist and Chair of our Fitness and Wellness Department), Danielle Hill (Development Coordinator) and Malissa Balderama ’09 (Annual Fund Manager).
In the meantime—these next few days are full of excitement. Yesterday we welcomed all our new students for a day of fun and exploration. In particular our juniors did a great job helping their “little sisters” feel at home. And this morning we traveled with our freshmen to Hahamonga Watershed Park for a morning of environmental service, providing an opportunity for our newest Cubs to live our Holy Child motto “Actions Not Words.”
Most of all, I can’t wait for Monday morning when we welcome everyone to the 2021-22 school year. Starting with an assembly at 7:50 a.m. sharp, the day will continue with advisory, class meetings, school photos, and mini-classes. Students will also receive information about any school supplies they will need. Please make sure your daughters are dressed in their formal uniform for their “photo op!”
Thanks for all your prayers and support. I know we are going to have an awesome year!
With Love and Gratitude,
Kate Morin
Back
Welcome to the 2021-22 school year!
I hope you and your families had a fabulous summer—staying safe and healthy with some time for some much-needed fun and relaxation. My husband Skip and I spent several wonderful weeks on the East Coast visiting with our children and grandchildren. It was such a gift to be able to watch our baby boy Heath (almost six months) grow and develop before our eyes, and our granddaughter Maddie (going on three) continues to be amazing in every way. We also spent time preparing for our youngest son’s wedding (postponed from last year) which we will celebrate in September on the Jersey Shore. As you can imagine—I’ve been spending a lot of time counting my blessings!
While I was away our community was blessed by an almost miraculous transformation on campus. Under the incredible leadership of Facilities Director Connie Peters, the first phase of our Strub Hall renovation project is nearing completion. We will welcome our students back to some beautiful new spaces, including completely transformed visual art studios, an amazing new window-lined classroom in the library, and my personal favorite, a gorgeous sun-filled Senior Lounge. In particular, I just can’t wait for the beloved Class of 2022 to start reconnecting and making memories together in their new home.
While the construction crew will be putting some finishing touches on a few administrative spaces on the third level of Strub over the next few weeks, they will soon move into Phase 2 of our project, which entails a refurbishment of the offices on the top floor of our building. Luckily, no classrooms will be directly below this work so we do not anticipate that it will be disruptive—another blessing!
Despite the busyness of our renovation project and the restrictions imposed by the pandemic our summer studies program exceeded expectations—overseen by the expert leadership of Emily Goodell ’99 and Jade Stewart ’09. A record number of our students participated in fully in-person credit and enrichment classes. Many of our athletes were also able to return to play on campus thanks to the care and hard work of our Athletic Director, Steve Bergen, Athletic Trainer Jayme Harrold and School Nurse Cathy Cota. Nurse Cota has also worked tirelessly over the summer to make sure that we are doing everything possible to prepare our campus and community for a safe and healthy school year. Please visit our COVID-19 page on our website for up-to-date information.
During the summer our faculty and staff engaged in some meaningful and important professional development, including some wonderful cross-curricular collaborative projects. I’m particularly thrilled that a team of veteran educators came together to plan our new Ethnic Studies elective—a wonderful addition to our course offerings.
Last week we welcomed our new faculty and staff with several days of orientation. We are truly blessed that six amazing educators have joined our community. We have added three new members to our arts department—both Jennifer Saparzadeh and Tim Lewis will be teaching visual arts, while Paul Cales will be our new technical director for productions, teaching technical theater in our conservatory program, and working with Maryanne Householder, who has taken over as chair of the department. We also added two new members to our World Languages Department—Spanish teacher Mirabel Ruiz and Latin teacher Elliott Piros. In addition, Boyoung Kim has joined our Theology Department. We were particularly fortunate to welcome home Morgan Shaner ’11, who will be covering our Chemistry and AP Chemistry classes until November, while Alli Akagi enjoys the last weeks of her maternity leave with her adorable baby boy.
We also welcomed two new staff members: our new Co-Director of College Counseling, Amy Lareau, and our new School Counselor, Erika Mastrobuono. I am also very excited to be working with Cassandra Gonzales in her new role as Director of Justice, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. We are looking forward to introducing everyone to you in person at Back to School Night on Thursday, Sept. 23 along with several community members who began in the middle of last year, including Lyn Beecher (Learning Specialist and Chair of our Fitness and Wellness Department), Danielle Hill (Development Coordinator) and Malissa Balderama ’09 (Annual Fund Manager).
In the meantime—these next few days are full of excitement. Yesterday we welcomed all our new students for a day of fun and exploration. In particular our juniors did a great job helping their “little sisters” feel at home. And this morning we traveled with our freshmen to Hahamonga Watershed Park for a morning of environmental service, providing an opportunity for our newest Cubs to live our Holy Child motto “Actions Not Words.”
Most of all, I can’t wait for Monday morning when we welcome everyone to the 2021-22 school year. Starting with an assembly at 7:50 a.m. sharp, the day will continue with advisory, class meetings, school photos, and mini-classes. Students will also receive information about any school supplies they will need. Please make sure your daughters are dressed in their formal uniform for their “photo op!”
Thanks for all your prayers and support. I know we are going to have an awesome year!
With Love and Gratitude,
Kate Morin
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.
