Letters of admission were sent March 10, and families have until April 10 to accept these offers with signed contracts. This week, a little more than one hundred prospective enrollees and their parents are visiting for a second look. Tuesday, we hosted forty-seven; Friday we expect fifty-something.

They arrive at 7:30 AM for breakfast, but most are too traumatized to enjoy Edna's waffles. Each visitor is paired with a student host with whom they attend classes, assembly, visit dorms and have lunch. Once they get started, Admission Director Chris Bartlett hails parents and starts them on a day of panel discussions, faculty interaction and Q & A.

They begin with an introduction to the school's DNA by Steve Wilkins in the new Wise Community Center:

Steve then breaks them into group of fifteen--each with one or two seniors, who answer questions from students' perspectives. Parents then visit dorms, classroom spaces, shops, artrooms and the Learning Center with faculty tour guides. After assembly, and a coffee reception hosted by PAPA, a panel of administrators and PAPA representatives describe their individual roles and field wide-ranging questions. The PAPA hospitality cart appears here and there, offering refreshments and cookies to visitors (and fully enrolled students, such as these three:)

After lunch, families browse through a comprehensive activities fair in the Learning Center, with stations covering off-campus programs, sports, college counseling, etc. Judging visitors' responses, it is clear that the school differentiates itself successfully. Below, Topher warms his sub on a stick over the grill behind Rulon-Miller house: