Dear Friends and Supporters of Sewickley Academy,
The 2015-2016 school year was a year of opportunity and challenge. The Events Center was under construction throughout the year, creating challenges for parking and navigating upper campus, as students, faculty, staff, and visitors had to make their way around the construction staging area in front of the Means Alumni Gym. While the physical plant was being rebuilt, our student-athletes did not slow down, and, instead, were able to achieve amazing results.
Overall, our student-athletes won three Pennsylvania State Championship trophies, four WPIAL Championships, and eight Section Championships. A number of Academy historical firsts were recorded, as well, with junior Griffin Mackey winning the first ever gold medal at the PIAA Championships in cross country, senior Summer Thorpe capturing a first ever gold medal in the 100 meter hurdles at the PIAA Track and Field Championships, and junior Luke Ross securing the PIAA Tennis Singles Championship for the first time in school history.
Off the field, extraordinary performances in musical productions in the Lower, Middle, and Senior Schools reminded us that the arts are alive and well and the legacy of Mario Melodia is thriving on the stages of the Academy. And on the college front, with the admission landscape’s becoming ever more competitive, the Class of 2016 did very well, with 17% of the class earning acceptances to colleges ranked in the Top 10 by U.S. News & World Report.
Of course there is so much that happens at the Academy every day that won’t be captured by a performance or recognized with a medal. Learning is a process our students engage in with curiosity and passion, working day in and day out with teachers, coaches, directors, and one another to stretch the boundaries of their capacities. Whether in Early Childhood, Grade 7 English, or Senior School physics, students are being challenged by their teachers to test their limits and discover that they actually can achieve goals they might not have thought possible.
None of this happens without the outstanding work of our faculty and staff. It is our people who devote so much of themselves to the growth and learning of the children in their care that make this such an extraordinary school. Without our teachers and their commitment to their own professional growth and development, our students would not achieve the amazing milestones that, each year, represent their success and the strength of our programs.
As successful as our educational programs are – and as successful as our students have been – this past spring, we learned through a series of surveys we administered to students, faculty and staff, and parents that our community feels we need to be better in communicating news about the school, both good and bad, and that we need to be more transparent about the challenges we face. In that spirit, I can affirm that, while the educational program we offer our students is as robust and vibrant as it has ever been, we nevertheless continue to face enrollment challenges. We are a significantly smaller school than we were a decade ago, and while the quality of our student-body remains strong, we would like to have more students benefiting from the amazing education that we offer. The answer, of course, is not to accept any student who applies, but to ensure that those who are qualified hear about us and are able to enroll.
Your generosity over the years has ensured the financial health of the school. Your help in spreading the word about what an amazing education our students receive also contributes to our ability to maintain and even strengthen the work we do on behalf of our students, and encourages others to consider us as a place to educate their children. Thank you to each and every one of you for all you do for our students and our faculty and staff. Your generosity and advocacy for the school make a difference – a difference measured in trophies and awards, to be sure, but also measured in the hearts and minds of our amazing students.
Gratefully,
Kolia O’Connor
Head of School
