Dr. Germain McConnell, executive director of MSMS, scheduled a School Update to take place on October 19th at 1:00pm. In his email, Dr. McConell stated that this meeting would be an opportunity for students to stay updated on school progress: “As current members of the student body and lifelong members of the MSMS family, it is important to us that you remain informed about your school.”

A group of teachers were present at the meeting, prepared for an interactive session where students could address any questions or concerns.

However, when 1:00pm came, no students had arrived. The faculty waited another five or seven minutes before deciding to cancel the meeting. What caused this mass absenteeism? Did students take Dr. McConnell’s “This meeting is not mandatory” too liberally?

Talking to a few students, it seems that the main reason was that most people had completely forgotten; the last reminder email was sent two weeks before the event, causing the meeting to slip from students’ minds. To avoid such a situation in the future, perhaps reminder emails can be sent out a day or two before scheduled date.