An Annual Gathering: Fall Family Weekend

Is the Family Weekend a success or a failure?

Every year Middlesex welcomes over one hundred new families to our community, bringing diverse backgrounds, experiences, and heritages to this special place. We gather as one to celebrate all of what Middlesex has to offer and all that each individual brings to Middlesex in return. Fall Family Weekend is a highly-anticipated event every year, as every student hopes to share with their loved ones the MX magic that brings this campus to life. However, Family Weekend is not only a time of bonding within families, but also an opportunity to welcome unique viewpoints and experiences. Indeed, whether you call the small town of Concord home or if home is all the way across the ocean in China, South Korea, South Africa, Finland, and beyond, MX connects people from all around the world.

Family Weekend started with an international family dinner on Thursday night, warmly welcoming families who traveled from different nations to eat together under one single tent. The next night, all families streamed into the MX gates. Starting the night off with class receptions, parents of each grade gathered together to bond over snacks and beverages, soon moving onto the formal dinner in the rink. The jazz band played lovely background music as families enjoyed a delicious meal.

After dinner, all the families slowly filed to the chapel where Chamber Orchestra, Small Chorus, and Swag captivated the audience with beautiful music. Starting off with an instrumental piece, our orchestra, conducted by Dr. Wetzel, impressed the audience with Molly On The Shore. Then, Swag swept the entire audience with an astounding performance of Blackbird by The Beatles, with many stating that this performance was one of the best in Swag history. The Bullfrogs took the stage afterwards with Uptown Girl and MXolydians with Since U Been Gone, lead by soloists Alvie Zobel de Ayala and Izzy Johnston. Finally, Small Chorus ended the night with I Have A Voice with soloist Chris She, and the entire audience left with their jaws dropped. 

However, despite the outstanding performances, many people did not have room to sit during the chapel performance due to overcrowding, and others sat behind large pillars, completely blocking their view of the talented musicians. Instead, students should attend, without their families, the same musical concert performed the night before in the Terry Room, while parents can enjoy the performances in the chapel alone. Indeed, Alison Fiedler ‘27, a member of Swag, stated that she was also slightly disappointed that not as many people showed up to that performance as she hoped. Having a large population of the student body go to that concert would mitigate both situations.

After a good night of sleep, families are back on campus early in the morning to attend their child(ren)’s classes. From A block to G block, our parents met every single one of our teachers, living a day in the life as a Middlesex student. At least for my parents, they always tell my brother and I after attending our classes how lucky we are to have access to this level of education, teachers who truly want to help you improve, and class structures that develop your learning capabilities. 

Ultimately, although it could benefit from minor adjustments, Family Weekend serves as a time for connection and bonding, whether between or among families, everyone leaves with stronger relationships than before.

Michelle Cai