On October 17, families interested in Parker would usually walk along circle drive, enter the alcove, and perhaps explore various classrooms. They would be happily greeted by faculty, staff, and students ready to answer any Parker related questions they were asked. However, on October 17, 2020, families, device at hand, logged on to the 2020 Lower School open house online. 

An open house serves as an opportunity for families to observe Parker and understand the curriculum and culture present at the school. The Parker website shows a calendar that indicates the important information, details, and dates regarding the open houses for Upper School, Middle School, and Lower School. 

When clicking the open house event on the Francis W. Parker website, it takes you to a booking section where all logistics regarding the event can be found. The event took place on October 17 for families of students from junior kindergarten through third grade. 

The Parker website states, “Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from Parker’s school leaders and learn more about our Lower School program — all from the comfort of their own home.”

The event started with a slideshow of Parker students and facilities. According to the Admissions Team at Parker, over 200 people registered for the Open House Saturday, which is equal to about 100 households. The attendees were from 35 different zip codes,with  one from England. The event consisted of different segments. As mentioned in the confirmation email the first segment was a, “Welcome with Daniel B. Frank, ’74, Ph.D., Principal.” Then, Barbara Hunt, Director of Studies JK-5 and Acting Head of Lower School greeted the attendees. “Welcome to our school,” Hunt said while starting the presentation on the Zoom webinar. Throughout her presentation, Hunt highlighted different topics about Parker, one being that, “Students work both independently and collaboratively,” Hunt said. 

A faculty and staff panel and a video compilation of students in grades JK-5 were presented in order to answer questions submitted by prospective families when registering for the event. Finally, an “Admission and Financial Assistance Overview with Karen Fisher, Director of Enrollment and Financial Assistance” closed the event on Saturday morning. 

“This is still a relatively new event for the lower school which is still really exciting,” Assistant Director of Admission for grades JK-5 Katy Buoscio said. “For two years it has been on Parker’s campus and it’s been really wonderful to have there.”

The biggest difference between having a virtual Open House instead of an in-person event is, “Not being able to welcome these families into our space, the space that they would envision their child or their family,” Buoscio said. 

“Fall is a beautiful time to be on campus at Parker with the leaves falling, and allowing families to see the amazing play spaces we have and our classrooms,” Fisher said. 

Having the event shift formats also allows time to explore, research, and discover new ways to approach the Open House. “We are using Zoom webinars as a platform, so we have done quite a bit of professional development as a team to make sure we are ready for the event and to make sure that this is a format that is accessible to prospective families,” Buoscio said.

The new format has also allowed for additional ideas. “We have not only been trying to replicate the events that we have had, but also find opportunities for new ways of connecting with people,” Fisher said. 

The virtual platform has created new elements for the events that occur in the fall. Lunch and Learns are a new opportunity for families to hear more about Parker and ask questions. “Families can drop in on their lunch hour and have a presentation and an opportunity to ask questions, and so it won’t just be the open house event, although the open house event will be, I think, exciting, and we are trying to show the campus with some of the archival footage that we have,” Fisher said. 

Fisher also mentioned that through the registering process one could send questions for the faculty panel to answer and elaborate more on, which is a vital part of the Open House event. During the panel, faculty and staff answered questions regarding a variety of topics. 

Among the many questions asked, Director of Parker PM Stacie Newmark, presented information concerning after school programs, specifically Parker PM. “We like to call it our home away from home, our after-school community,” Newmark said. 

In the past, students have participated in the Open House, in some way, so this year a video compilation was made answering different questions prompted by visiting families.

“We asked lower and intermediate school students questions from their own home, and a parent or guardian recorded them, and we gathered those up and created a sort of a compilation video,” Buoscio said. “A little bit of a glimpse into what they love about their classrooms, what they enjoy about their teacher, what are their favorite things about Parker that really are fun and exciting to see.” 

A silver lining described by Buoscio is that online events can enable people from around the world to register and connect virtually, which allows for a way to join the event without the commute that might have been needed. 

“We are really hearing the authentic questions that prospective families have and trying to be responsive to them as well as show our school and the great light that it brings to the world,” Fisher said.