On October 12, the alumni community gathered on Zoom to discuss Parker’s direction for the future. Alumni from across the country and from various graduating classes attended, representing classes from the 1960s to the recent decade. The Fall Alumni Association Town Hall gave these members a chance to connect and discuss recent events. 

The town hall took place at 7:00 p.m., and 28 people joined. It was led by Mikus Kins ’91, P’27, P’29, the newly elected president of the Alumni Association. The town hall is a biannual event, and will take place again in the Spring. 

Principal Dan Frank opened the meeting, describing Parker’s current condition as “a complete community in a world that feels broken.” 

“Our school is really moving in a strong direction,” Frank said during the town hall. “Parker is actively leaning in to creating a better new normal.”

Kins commended Frank on his leadership and emphasized the importance of certain qualities at Parker. “We need to pay attention to important attributes such as diversity, equity, and inclusion,” Kins said. “I think Dan Frank is doing a great job at that.”

At the present time, all students are back at school with required mask-wearing and fluctuating COVID-19 restrictions. Having attended Parker in years prior, members of the alumni community were exposed to a different learning environment. Kins believes Parker is doing an “excellent job” compared to some other academic institutions.

“Having known other families and friends going to different schools both in the city and in the suburbs and just seeing their experiences, they never had the resources, and in many cases, they remained virtually far too long,” Kins said. “I’m really glad my children are at Parker.”

Kins also noted there are some matters Parker has yet to address. “I think in general there’s a lot of issues that Parker needs to tackle, but I do think there’s great leadership in place,” Kins said. According to Kins, these issues involve school access, school affordability, the DEI, the endowment, and preparing the school for the future as a leading institution in progressive education. 

Kins believes that since the alumni board is constantly growing, Parker now has larger and thus stronger leadership to tackle such issues. During COVID-19, Parker utilized virtual learning which now provides new opportunities and resources in aspects other than education as well. Town halls and regular meetings are now held via Zoom, not in person, so alumni from across the globe can engage. The alumni board, originally only 14 members, now has 24 members.“I do think for the challenges Parker has to face, we now have a much larger constituency that we can get involved because it’s not just in-person anymore,” Kins said.

In order to promote engagement in the alumni community, there are several committees: the alumni giving committee, the DEI committee, the membership recruitment committee, and the mentorship committee. During the town hall, committee leaders presented a brief pitch to encourage people to join. Laura Neiman ’93 is an alumni board member and co-head of the events committee. This committee coordinates future events and oversees alumni outreach. 

“We’re really just trying to support the school in any way that we can and encourage alumni to be as involved with the school as possible,” Neiman said, “as a part of the events committee, we are trying to create and foster opportunities for all alumni.”

In order to grow Parker’s alumni community, a new website was launched by the alumni development office called FWP Connect. It is a private LinkedIn community for only Parker alumni, giving them the chance to associate and stay updated with the current state of the school.

“Upon graduation, everyone at Parker will get access to it, ” Kins said. “It’s a database of everybody if you’re looking to network, if you’re looking for a mentor. It gives the ability to post jobs or look for jobs. It’s just starting, and we have about 500 active members, and that will continue to grow.”

In addition, Kins believes alumni should always stay updated with the school’s current affairs. The newly named “Jo Anderson Drive” was well-received in the alumni community. Kins described the change as “tremendous” and coinciding with the idea of “progressive education.”

“We cannot ignore and forget but embrace, celebrate, and acknowledge our past, whether good or bad,” Kins said. 

Both Neiman and Kins had a positive experience at Parker as a student, and that is the reason they choose to stay an active member of the alumni community. Parker’s values encourage them to advocate and promote further engagement among the alumni community.

“Everything that Parker gave to me I feel is my duty to give back and more,” Neiman said.