With their child’s schedule and a map of the building in hand, Pierson Middle and High School parents navigated the school’s hallways, meeting faculty and learning classroom curricula along the way. The night was organized according to a bell schedule, allowing parents to visit each classroom while alternating between A and B days. For lunch and study hall sessions, parents were invited to the library to socialize and enjoy light refreshments.

At the middle school, parents met with teachers, including Eileen Caulfield, an English teacher. Caulfield discussed which works students will be analyzing, discussion questions they will cover, and how reading various texts on the same topic builds understanding, to name a few. She also emphasized that some discussions, such as how culture, time, and place influence identity, may intersect with social studies.

For high school elective classes, some parents separated from their group. In Michael Piro’s Preparing Learners for a New Tomorrow (PLANT) class, students will embark on a three-year course that introduces them to the tenets of the International Baccalaureate Program. The class focuses on inquiry and project-based learning in the content areas of technology and family consumer sciences. The class strategically pairs engineering and personal development as students take on woodworking and technology-based projects, such as designing bridges or working with a 3D printer, and host discussions on topics like professionalism and goal setting. 

Donnelly McGovern, the IB History of the Americans Year I teacher, focused on how the class’s challenging aspects will prepare students for IB test-taking and college. The class comprises three major papers focusing on key topics, such as the causes and effects of the 20th-century wars and the emergence of the Americas in global affairs. Students will analyze different source topics and texts and learn to organize and structure a historical essay. Class time will also be dedicated to drafting these substantial papers to encourage full engagement in the writing process and avoid AI.