MLWGS Foundation Connects Parents to One Another and the School
Coming from different cities and counties can make it feel challenging for many new students to make and nurture friendships when they first enroll at Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School. But while students can quickly start to build relationships as they interact with classmates, the opportunities are more limited for their parents, who often feel like they are navigating uncharted territory.
To help connect families coming from different cities and counties, the Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School Foundation offers two signature events—the new Parent Welcome and the Senior Parent Sendoff—so parents can build connections and nurture the broader school community.
“These parent activities not only foster a sense of community at the school but provide parents with an opportunity to talk with other parents about any issues, concerns, or questions they may have,” said Anne Ewald, whose daughters graduated in 2020 and 2023. “It also encourages parent involvement, as new parents meet the existing network of parent volunteers and hear the rewards of being more involved.”
The New Parent Welcome, held each summer before students officially start ninth grade, offers more than just practical information. It’s often a moment when parents launch lasting friendships.
“Parents have an opportunity to meet and get to know one another at the Foundation’s parent events,” said Anikka Moore, whose son Christopher travelled from Dinwiddie County to be part of the Class of 2025. “They help you find similarities and connect a student’s name with a parent. Parent meet-and-greets can even help build bonds for students.”
For families whose students come from across the region, these connections are invaluable. “It’s easy to meet other parents in elementary school, but those opportunities decrease in middle school and even more so in high school,” said Ewald, a Richmond resident. “That’s why I always welcomed parent events. They gave me the chance to gain insight into others’ perspectives on how to support my own children.”
Moore encourages others to make the most of these gatherings. “Meet the parents. It will help your child meet and get to know other students,” she said.
Crystal Johnson’s daughter, Kaci, came to Maggie Walker from her home in Goochland County. “I’ve always been deeply involved in my children’s education, but going into my child attending the region’s governor’s school meant I didn’t know the administrators and teachers. I felt disconnected,” she said. Part of the adjustment was to allow her daughter to take the lead, but “having her at a school with like-minded students and like-minded parents made it so easy.”
Attending the Foundation’s New Parent Welcome reception helpedJohnson find her way to volunteer opportunities that introduced her to even more parents—especially those of her son’s friends. Through volunteering for and attending events over the years, including the annual Night of the Dragon gala, she engaged and re-engaged with new and familiar faces.
And just as the New Parent Welcome introduces families to the Maggie Walker community, the Senior Parent Sendoff provides a closing for parents whose young adults now are graduating. This year’s event was held at Brambly Park in nearby Scott’s Addition.
“The event serves as a meaningful conclusion to the high school experience, which is a milestone not just for students, but for their parents as well,” Ewald said. “There’s excitement for the new opportunities that await, but also a sense of loss as we say goodbye to the regular interactions and friendships we’ve built with other parents.”
Moore agrees. “At this year’s Senior Parent Sendoff, I got to meet parents I had never met, and others whose student will attend the same college as my son,” she said. “For those I met at sendoff, I wish I had met them earlier. For those whose child will attend the same college, sendoff wasn’t the end for us; we’ll continue down the road together.”
That final event creates a moment to celebrate the successes of every member of that year’s class. Parents who don’t embrace these opportunities miss a valuable resource for supporting their students during this unique high school experience, according to Johnson.
Certainly, there are challenges for families that come from the furthest corners of the school’s service area, but that shouldn’t intimidate them from supporting the school, faculty and, most importantly, their children. “Get involved,” she said. “Get to know the people who are helping to get your child on the path to where they want to be.”