From February 8 to 10, three college admission deans visited Mercersburg Academy to examine the school’s academic programs and student initiatives, with a focus on the Capstone programs. During their visit, students presented their projects and reflected on their learning experiences, giving the deans an inside look at how Mercersburg prepares students, encouraging independent inquiry and personal exploration.
The visiting deans—Matt Hyde from Trinity College, Deb Johns from the University of Notre Dame, and Alan Ramirez from Sewanee, the University of the South—toured campus, met with faculty and administrators, and had dinner with students. According to college counseling director Vicki Thompson, the program was designed to give admissions officers “a real insider’s view” of Mercersburg’s community and curriculum.
“They sit in classes. They listen to capstone presentations. They meet with school leadership,” Thompson said. “It just really helps college admissions officers get to know who we are and what we are doing and the intentionality of our curriculum and all of the things.”
Students in capstone programs presented projects that reflect their individual passions and interests. Michael Kremers ’26, a student in Positive Psychology, discussed his project, which investigates the effects of mindfulness interventions on varsity basketball players’ performance under pressure. He emphasized the importance of showing college deans the true side of a student.
“I feel like it's important for these college deans to be exposed to student perspectives because, if they preach about wanting to see the student applicant as an individual, they should see their passion projects, which essentially is what Springboard is for Mercersburg students.” Kremers said. He continued, “It’s an opportunity for students to follow and pursue their passions whether it’s sports psychology like mine or microbiology like one of my classmates was presenting.”
Other students shared how the capstone programs have helped them develop academically and personally. Marcus Lee ’27, a MAPS student, reflected, “I challenged my beliefs and I'm discovering more about not only myself, but what I'm interested in. I think it's good to see the genuine curiosity that students here have, what they're interested in, what they know about themselves, and how they view the world around them. People have different perspectives and it's interesting to see what people think.”
Manika Dalai ’26, another Positive Psych student, emphasized the student-driven nature of the curriculum. “The whole point of the capstone course is that you have independence to do what you want to do,” she explained. “It's teacher-guided, but really it's student-driven, so it is important for college deans to understand the level of engagement students have.”
For Mercersburg, these visits by college deans serve many purposes. They demonstrate the rigor and proactivity of students, strengthen the relationships with colleges, and provide admissions officers with a better understanding of the school. The visit showed the importance Mercersburg places on self-driven learning. By observing students present their work, the visiting deans gained insight into how the school prepares students not only for college, but for intellectual and personal growth beyond the classroom.