“Having our progressive pedagogy on display will hopefully attract the students and families who will really love going to school here,” Head of Upper School Cory Zeller said. After decades of three open houses per year, one per division, Saturday, October 18 introduced a new venture: ParkerFest.
“We felt it was important since we’re the only school in Chicago that has all grades in the same building. We’re hoping to have a fun atmosphere––just like a regular day,” Director of Enrollment and Financial Assistance Jessy Trejo said. “This is one way that we can see the community across all grades.”
The day consisted of a grand Parker entrance in the Alcove, drums and all, followed by a 45-minute formal information session in the auditorium. The information session consisted of hearing from faculty but also had a student panel led by ambassadors Dylan Wright and Trisen Phillips. “When families see our passion for learning and commitment to community, civic engagement, and warmth, they rave about it,” Phillips said. After that, families were able to go to classrooms to see day-to-day activities such as science demonstrations. The school was filled with faculty from all grades, and those teachers were “encouraged to make their classrooms like a museum,” Zeller said.
While Parker is known for its rigorous curriculum, extracurricular activities like theater and robotics were in regular meetings during the event, giving families the opportunity to see what student life is like. Further, Upper School Dean of Student Life Joe Bruno organized a number of student leaders to talk about their positions and what their clubs do. Additionally, Athletics Director Nick Kocsis organized a presentation of the athletics Parker has to offer. “We’re really trying to give people an authentic sense of what makes this school special,” Zeller said.
Aside from Clubs, direct student involvement was a factor in ParkerFest. “Students were saying yes, we want a little overview, but then have the opportunity to talk directly to families,” Trejo said. Ambassadors Phillips and Wright share a passion for the impact student input makes on new-to-Parker students.
“I love to immerse myself in someone’s high school choice process. When people remember me from open houses, tours, and shadow days, it makes me feel like I’ve really left an impact,” Phillips said.
“Possibly making an impact on someone that could enroll in Parker makes me feel like I contributed back to a community that contributed so much to me,” Wright said.
Another aspect of the previous open houses that ParkerFest aimed to improve on was the longer informational parts being turned into interactive moments, and the admissions team wanted to “make it more where you heard a little bit about our overall philosophy,” Trejo said.
“We do surveys with families who would apply to see what we could improve on. We had families wanting to learn about different divisions, but then they happen on different days, and having some families that have kids that were applying to high school and middle school at the same time.”
While this may be the first time Upper School students have experienced a change in the open house system, ParkerFest is far from the first time Parker has made a change. “Pre-COVID, I was always in my classroom with things out talking to families…post-COVID, we’ve tried a couple different models, and none of them have felt quite right,” Zeller said. The goal of ParkerFest is to feel “the energy in the halls,” Zeller said.
Overall, ParkerFest immersed new families into what it means to be a Parker student. “Prospective students get the chance to meet with teachers, discover unique places within our school, and put a tangible image to a ‘progressive school,’” Phillips said.
