INSIGHT: The Eagles in Our Nest
By Cheryl Schenk Miller, Director of Enrollment Management
On Wednesday, we did school. Students arrived and assembled. Teachers wore professional clothing both above and below computer screen-height. We gathered for meals in and around the Levinger-Poole Commons. Students previewed the trimester or year to come, led by their instructors, class-by-class, eighteen students at a time.
Eighteen is one student more than the number of students with whom EPS opened its doors in 2003. At the start of our 19th year now, we continue the tradition of increasing our enrollment annually. We welcomed 517 students to campus on Wednesday, 104 of whom are new to the EPS community, and 99 of whom attended school mostly or completely remotely in 2020-2021.
Looking forward, we are on track in 2022-2023 to experience the new ‘full’ of our Upper School enrollment at approximately 85 students per grade. This will bring us to peak enrollment of 538. However, even as our enrollment continues to grow, the focus on students’ individual experiences remains at the core of who we are:
- Advisor-parent-student conferences provided space for conversation and connection.
- That conversation continues with students and advisors as they continue to meet, from orientation activities this week, to weekly group meetings. to individual check-ins later this year.
- Student-led college counseling meetings have commenced for our 12th graders who are being supported by the college counseling team, and their families, in this season of applications.
- Each student athlete, academic team member, and performing arts participant is experiencing individual opportunities for growth and leadership as members of our teams and activities.
- New students’ inevitable and important questions during these first days have been answered by faculty, staff, and fellow Eagles.
No matter how many Eagles we have in our nest, this group of caring and committed students is ready to soar for another year!