Brown & Gold Annual Report 2020-21

When we began the 2020-21 school year, we did so with a comprehensive schoolwide Health and Safety Plan in place. That plan, along with the leadership of our COVID-19 Task Force, hard work from employees, and commitment of parents/sponsors, enabled us to safely conduct in-person classroom learning the entire school year—a rare feat for any school during the pandemic.

With all students back on campus, we quickly saw them flourish academically, socially, and physically thanks to in-person instruction and other best-in-class support services, including all-inclusive health care, academic and behavioral health interventions, and enrichment opportunities.

Despite the challenges of the pandemic, our MHS community remained focused. As a result, we graduated the largest senior class in history and worked on making campus safer and more inclusive than ever. We also established an Early Childhood Education Initiative with Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning that is poised to change the educational landscape for low-income children.

Our success as a school has always been driven by our ability to develop and execute solid schoolwide plans that combine the needs of our current students with the Hersheys’ guiding vision. In the fall of 2020, we unveiled our next five-year strategic plan, the MILT Plan. While the onset of our strategic plan has also involved navigating the pandemic, we have already begun making strides in the plan’s four key areas: Modeling Character and Well-Being, Innovating Career-Focused Education, Leveraging Impact, and Teamwork to Strengthen Community Alignment and Engagement.

We could have never accomplished everything we did this past school year without the overwhelming support of our parents/sponsors, staff, students, and alumni. I am so thankful for our MHS family and am proud to lead our home and school forward to new heights.

For low-income families, the pandemic hit especially hard. According to a study by Georgetown University and the University of Oklahoma–Tulsa, many low-income parents faced job and income loss as well as food insecurity since the pandemic began—all affecting their financial, physical, and mental health and that of their children. As learning opportunities shrunk across the country with the shift to remote instruction, these parents also struggled to help young learners.

Throughout the 2020-21 school year, Milton Hershey School focused on being the reliable resource parents/sponsors needed while they navigated the pandemic themselves. This meant a commitment to keeping their children safe, learning in person, and benefiting from full access to all our school’s wraparound services and resources, like food, clothing, a nurturing home life, medical, dental, psychological, behavioral, and social work.

While every MHS student comes from poverty, that’s only part of their life circumstances before enrolling. Poverty also contributes to the accumulation of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), defined as traumatic events children experience before the age of 18. These ACEs have become more prevalent and complex as a result of the pandemic.

Research shows that ACEs can put a child at greater risk for physical and mental health problems throughout their lifetime. At MHS, our approach to whole child care focuses on the effective ways to help children cope with and reduce the effects of ACEs by providing them with stable support, resources, and the strategies to persevere and succeed.

Our teams of experts and professionals provide wraparound care, at no cost, that addresses traumatic events and helps students counter the negative impact ACEs can have on their health and futures.

Making the 2020-21 school year a successful one involved reimagining our programs and reinventing the classroom experience to safeguard our students and staff during the pandemic. We were intentional and focused on ways we could make the greatest impact on students’ learning and social and emotional development while implementing COVID mitigation strategies. The result: students thrived when they returned to campus life and we built upon our offerings, especially those geared toward college and career readiness.

Resilience, perseverance, and leadership defined the Class of 2021’s MHS journey. When they faced challenges, these 237 seniors showed the community what it means to be Spartans. Together, they made up the largest graduating class in school history and celebrated each other during the virtual 87th Commencement Ceremony and Senior Celebration Car Processional. Teachers, staff, parents/sponsors, alumni, and Hershey community partners also joined the festivities while following state health guidelines.

Milton Hershey School’s Graduate Programs for Success (GPS) Division builds bridges between high school and college, technical school, the workforce, or the military. This MHS support network does not disappear after graduation day. A team of experts, counselors, and mentors keep students connected to each other and the school as alumni.

In moments of uncertainty, communities are tested. It is the people who step up and rise above adversity that make a difference at critical times. Despite the ongoing challenges of the pandemic, MHS staff took their job descriptions to the next level with an unwavering focus and commitment. Because of them, we were able to continue in-person classroom learning, reimagine leadership development and character-building experiences, and ultimately, unite to ensure the health and safety of the school community.

The conclusion of the 2020-21 school year also marked the successful completion of the first year of our new five-year strategic plan, the MILT Plan. Despite the pandemic, we made significant advances in the plan’s four key areas.