McGehee+Student+Population+is+Booming

=McGehee student population is booming=

“I am so thankful to go to a school where the teacher's are so enthusiastic and are constantly motivating us to stand up for what we believe in because together we can achieve the impossible,” said McGehee Junior Valerie E. Another student, Sophomore Amanda G., also said that, “I like being able to see people come back that have already graduated but are still really close with their high school friends and knowing that me and the people in my class will always be close gives me a sense of comfort”. Students at McGehee are very joyful to be going to a school that offers such a high-standing academic education, and you can see it around the campus day to day. One reason McGehee has been doing so well is because the school is doing a very good job staying true to who we are. Kim Wargo, head of upper school, commented that, “As long as we keep true to our mission, and our student-teacher ratio; we will continue to be very attractive to families in New Orleans.” The happy students and teachers also add to this cause, and are some of the best promoters for the school. Both the students and the faculty are glad to be here and are very energetic about what they do. Sarah Smith, Head of Admissions, added that, “As a young parent touring McGehee years ago I saw that the students seem very happy, and very engaged in what they were doing, whether in lower school or high school. I still see that same energy around here day to day.” Parents also select McGehee for their daughters because the school is constantly growing, and not only in terms of the campus. The excitement and energy at the school has also grown. McGehee also has a better support system. “We now have more guidance counselors, a nurse, and learning specialists, so the girls can feel safe and always have someone to talk to,” said Headmistress Eileen Powers. The school has been growing with technology also. When we first started the computer program, only 2 grades used computers; now 7 grades are on computers. Furthermore, the school has recently installed many Smart Boards. Bill Masters, a McGehee parent, commented that “I’ve never seen that application of technology in the classroom before. It’s much superior to anything I’ve seen in a business setting, and I think it will enhance teacher’s ability to teach. Overall, I was really impressed.” Another reason McGehee is doing very well is that more parents are sending their children to all girls’ schools at a younger age. Take this year’s Pre-K for example; there are 52 girls in that grade. This means that when parents were looking at schools for their daughters, they chose McGehee because they valued the wonderful single-sex education their daughters would be receiving. When asked how she felt about this year’s pre-k and their class being the largest ever, Sarah Smith added that “It’s incredible because all of these little girls are all very bright and have great personalities… They have such great excitement to be here, and their families do too.” However, parents haven’t always welcomed a single-sex education with open arms. “In the 80s, the trend for single sex vs. co-ed education was more in favor of co-ed. This made schools like McGehee become more out of favor. However, when the national trend swung back towards single-sex education, McGehee benefited greatly,” said McGehee’s Director of Admissions, Sarah Smith. Parents also chose McGehee because it prepares their daughters for their academic careers later in life. A recent study from the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools showed that 93% of graduates from an all girls’ school said that they were very or extremely satisfied with how their schools prepared them for college, and 99% said that they felt more or equally prepared to interact with faculty compared with their peers who attended co-ed schools. Believe it or not, the McGehee student body currently has 435 students. With this many students, McGehee is extremely close to its full capacity. However, this hasn’t always been the case. About 10 years ago, the student body was only about 325 students, but since then McGehee has been growing steadily and has been getting bigger every year. Before Katrina, McGehee had 485 students which was a great accomplishment. When the school reopened after the storm, only 60% of the students had returned. By 2nd semester, the school was back to about 80%, and one year later it was about 85%. Although this year was very outstanding in terms of admissions, many people feel that it is ok if we do not keep this rolling. Kim W., head of upper school, commented that, “I’m not sure that we will keep getting 52 girls in pre-k, and that’s ok… we would be happy with 30-40 girls in each grade.” By Megan M.