MICDS “Rambassadors” greet potential students with a warm, friendly smile and an outpouring of support when they arrive at the Middle School for a campus visit. The Rambassador hosts spend the day side-by-side with their guests, taking them to their classes, lunch, and recess while answering all their burning MICDS-related questions.
Recently, Kerry Bryan, Associate Director of Admission – Middle School, Andy Kay, Middle School English Teacher & Admissions Liaison, and Eric Brunt, Director of Enrollment Management, held pizza-party training sessions for those students interested in becoming Rambassadors. Dozens of students, eager to share their MICDS experience, signed up to be Rambassadors. Half of the fifth-grade class and three-quarters of the seventh-grade class attended the training sessions with Bryan and Kay. “This is the most we’ve ever had sign up,” reported Bryan.
When applying, students are asked to fill out a questionnaire about their favorite parts of MICDS, their favorite classes, and their interests outside of school. Visiting students are then paired with a current MICDS student with similar interests. That approach really helps visitors understand what our School is like on a day-to-day basis. “Visiting students get a chance to feel what it would be like to be a student here,” explained Bryan. “They meet teachers and other students and get a feeling for what it would be like to be a member of our community – a real ‘day in the life experience,’” she said.
The experience not only helps the visiting students, it builds the social skills of Middle School students. Bryan said that the experience teaches them how best to be a host. “How to talk to—and spend time with—someone you just met is a learned skill,” she explained. The role gives MICDS students opportunities to meet new friends and families and learn social skills they’ll use down the line.
There is a lot that goes into showing new students and families all the great things that MICDS has to offer. Admission officers like Bryan and Kay give tours, share information, and attend events like Open House, but Bryan stresses the important role of MICDS Rambassadors. “They are integral to the admission process,” she said. “Spending time with someone their own age can help visitors feel more comfortable with the idea of becoming an MICDS student.”
Well done, Rams!