Alumni Send-Off is a Welcomed Return

Right before school started for scholars this year at North Phoenix Prep, the academy hosted its first ever Alumni Send-Off. Nearly 30 alumni attended from as far back as the Class of 2019. Not only did past students have the rare opportunity to reconnect with former classmates, but faculty also enjoyed the fortuity to experience the impact they’ve made on past graduates. College Counselor Sheila Conner said they plan to make this event an annual tradition at the school.

“I noticed that alumni often asked at the front office if they might visit around this time of year and say hi to faculty. Given that we’re a closed campus, it’s not always conducive for these drop-ins, so I asked if we might coordinate an opportunity for this to occur,” said Conner. “It was so exciting to hear life and college updates from our alumni. While some talked about butterflies associated with upcoming freshman move-in dates, others shared about their recent university graduation and plans to explore grad school and travel.” Connor said some alumni enjoyed the event so much that they stayed until 2:00 in the afternoon to catch up and reminisce.

Headmaster Corinne Jacobson loves to invite their alumni back to campus as often as possible. “We enjoy hearing about their college journeys and beyond, and seeing what wonderful humans they have become. Once a Gladiator, always a Gladiator,” said Jacobson.

“As a teacher having the alumni on campus is life-giving,” said Rocky Márquez, physics and science teacher at North Phoenix Prep. “Each year as May approaches, I prepare for the bittersweet moment when I have to say farewell to another group of Seniors. The life updates I hear at the Alumni Send-off motivate and remind me of the important mission we have here at NPX to cultivate our students to thrive in life after high school.”

The campus already implemented their first annual Alumni Panel last school year, where former students visited high school classrooms to share their experiences and advice. “Our [alumni] are ‘boots on the ground’ at college campuses and have so much to offer our current high school students who are weighing their future plans. I found that at last year’s [panel], our current students really appreciated the insights and shared experiences, including [the] academic growing pains, they heard from graduates. The more connections we build with alumni, the more our NPX student and faculty community benefits,” said Conner. The academy plans to host the Alumni Panel event again on Tuesday, January 9^th, 2024.

Having alumni return to high school with their real-life stories, experiences, and successes can go a long way in motivating current students and faculty to remember the big picture and impacts beyond the current academics. They remind them what all the hard work is for. These young men and women can serve as role-models to current scholars and beacons of hope for faculty.

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