Smoke and Scales: Week of December 9, 2020

Senior Newsletter Available

Issue #4 of the Senior Newsletter has been posted on the MLWGS School Counseling website.

Check it out for a message from the senior counselors to the Class of 2021 (along with an important, time-sensitive to-do list) and a variety of scholarships, college announcements and events, gap-year ideas, contests and enrichment activities, and multicultural opportunities. You are invited to explore Naviance for more details.

Community Service Requirement for Graduation

All parents of seniors should review community service totals with their student. The eligible community service hours total for graduation can be found on your report card, and a detailed list of hours can be found on x2vol (our online community service app.). Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the seniors' community service hours goal has been adjusted to 110 hours. As indicated on the first-quarter report card, seniors should have all of their 110 hours submitted by May 1, 2021. Students who have any questions about their hours totals or x2vol should contact Mr. Cook.

Announcement for Juniors and their Parents

As we near the end of the first semester, juniors need to begin thinking about their senior-year class schedule. One important course selection involves the Senior Seminar/Mentorship Program. Each junior must determine whether or not he or she wants to enroll in a seminar or to apply to the mentorship program. All juniors must also read about the seminars being offered next year and rank their top choices. Juniors should keep watch for a message on Schoology from Mr. Cook this week regarding Senior Seminar/Mentorship. A group will be started on Schoology for this year’s juniors to find all of the important information regarding the Seminar/Mentorship Program.

Zoom Lecture Explores Maggie Walker

On the evening of Tuesday, Jan. 12, the MW Library will host a Zoom talk by historian Dr. Shennette Garrett-Scott, author of Banking on Freedom, a book in the Columbia Studies in the History of U.S. Capitalism series that features Maggie L. Walker. A free reading guide for the book is available from Columbia University Press. MLWGS students, parents, faculty, staff, and alumni welcome! Registration link below. If you have any questions about this special event, please email Ms. DeGroat.

Date: Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021
Time: 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Cost: FREE (registration required)
Reserve your spot here.

Foundation Thanks for Giving Tuesday Success

Thanks to everyone who made Giving Tuesday 2020 an amazing show of support and generosity: 165 donors gave just over $41,000 – a new record! – to the MLWGS Foundation on that day alone, and many others gave during the week as well. A special thanks to our donors who led the giving charge with their match challenge. Our community's generous spirit is something that sets MLWGS apart.

Missed Giving Tuesday? Every day is a great day to give. Make your contribution now.

Parent Competition in Full Swing

Dragon parents are stepping up to the plate to see which class can achieve the highest parent percentage of Foundation Annual Fund supporters, and the competition is fierce! This year the class with the highest parent percentage will receive a special treat – TBD like so many things in 2020 – and we promise it will be awesome.

Totals as of Dec. 2 are as follows:

Senior parents (2021) 20%
Junior parents (2022) 30%
Sophomore parents (2023) 24%
Freshman parents (2024) 21%

The Governor's School Foundation Annual Fund makes a huge impact on all students at MLWGS. The support of our parents is critical in these efforts and we are most grateful for your continued commitment.

Save the Date for Night of the Dragon

The 2021 Night of the Dragon will take place on Saturday, April 24. NOTD is always a highlight of the school year for Dragon parents, alumni, and supporters, and this year will be no different. Details are being imagined, but you can be sure there will be great auction items, a chance to celebrate being part of the amazing Dragon community, and more. Stay tuned for more info after the holiday break!