Welcome to Parish...

...and “40 Years of Making a Difference.”

Anniversaries simultaneously honor the past and propel us into the future. Our anniversary theme captures essential attributes of Parish, including Service, a tenet forged from our Episcopal identity. We are a school that teaches students to lead and serve with an ethical bearing. And, though the Parish of today has stepped well beyond the footprint that Mary Blair and a dedicated corps of teachers brought to life in Parish Day School 40 year ago, the essence of who we are is imminently traceable to our beginnings. While we now serve more and older students on two campuses and offer a richer and more varied array of dynamic programs, we remain: learner-centered; values-rich; proudly steeped in our Episcopal identity; service-oriented; and bold and fearless when considering new possibilities.

As we honor these vital strands of our institution’s fabric, Parish has established itself as a different kind of independent school – one which embraces innovation as a means for redefining what a high-quality, college preparatory experience accomplishes. One characteristic of our innovative spirit is the embedding of dynamic programs across our three divisions rather than isolating them to one set of students or one division. A few excellent examples are ParishLeads, ParishStem and ParishProfile.

The latter stands to have the most transformative impact on Parish students. The lessons and assessments, designed with the Profile as a guide, reflect a more nuanced and subtle interpretation of preparation. Increasingly at Parish, readiness is demonstrated more broadly by what students can do – as thinkers, creators, communicators and collaborators – rather than more narrowly by what they accomplish – as measured by grades, AP scores or the status of their college admission record. While these quantitative measures matter to us, the singular emphasis placed on them by like schools leads to learning which is burdensome, pressure-filled and consumptive. At Parish, we elevate the conversation about what the globally competitive student looks like using a Profile which speaks to abilities, not scores, and to a vigorous learning experience that energizes and engages the learner.

I look forward to seeing you on campus and hope you will join us in writing the next chapter in education and defining the next 40 years for Parish!

Sincerely,

David Monaco

Allen Meyer Family Head of School

Learn more about Mr. Monaco