Ryan Casey ‘23
The second week of Mercersburg’s spring term began with the first Revisit Day of the year and the first since COVID. The purpose of this event is to welcome accepted students and prospective families back to campus and showcase community life to help admitted students with their decision.
Student helper Ben Rihn ‘22 said about the overall results of the day, “I didn’t feel pressured to establish a forcefully-positive environment at any time; the parents that I interacted with were cheerfully curious from the moment they walked in.” Fellow student helper Isabel Su ‘23 mirrored Rihn’s sentiments, saying, “It seemed like prospective students and parents were really curious about the school and impressed with what Mercersburg had to offer.”
Admission counselor Richard Mahoney, in his first revisit event, said, “It was a really good time. Parents loved it, and [prospective] students really had a great time meeting the current students.”
The families and students shadowed classes, visited dorms, saw how the dining hall operated, and even had a party in the student center which Mahoney described as the highlight of the day. Head blue key Peyton Gesell ‘22, in charge of coordinating student guides, said, “I think current students are always excited to see the people they could potentially meet within the next few years. The accepted students and their families always bring so much excitement to campus and it’s such a joyous feeling!”
Admission Visit Coordinator Shelley Swope, who organized much of the events of that day, said about the party, “We had pretzel pies, smoothies, arts and crafts, games, music, and a photobooth. Everyone was hanging out, playing Uno and Jenga, and already forming new friendships.” This event was dubbed “Simon After Dark.” “It was so much fun to see, and I’m extremely proud of all the students who were involved and who made the event special,” Swope said.
The importance of revisit day is best captured by an anecdote from Gesell referencing one potential student. “I met her in my [Statistics] class where she and her dad talked to me and Mattew Tavarez ‘22 the whole time. They had such good questions and you could tell that they genuinely cared about the school.” According to Gesell, she ran into the student and her father once again later in the day and they spent more time together. This kind of moment is the primary purpose of Revisit Day: people making connections, peering into what life at Mercersburg is like, all to help them decide whether to join the Mercersburg community or not.
Mercersburg’s second revisit day will be on April 8 and according to Mahoney, “It will be much the same.”