At The Montessori Academy Edison Lakes, community is never an afterthought. It is the foundation.
This year, we kicked off our re-enrollment season with something a little unexpected and a lot of fun: a Rock & Re-Enroll Sock Hop.
Yes, there was music.
Yes, there was dancing.
Yes, there were socks sliding across the gym floor.
But this was more than a dance. It was a strategic, joyful invitation to families to say, “We’re in for another year.”
Why a Sock Hop for Re-Enrollment?
In independent schools, re-enrollment is one of the most important moments of the year. It reflects trust. It signals satisfaction. It determines stability and momentum for the future.
We could have sent a reminder email.
Instead, we created an experience.
Early Childhood students joined right after dismissal, followed by Lower and Upper Elementary and Junior High. Parents stayed. Teachers mingled. Friends laughed. Families connected. And woven throughout the energy of the evening was a simple message: We hope you’ll continue this journey with us.
Community Drives Commitment
In Montessori education, we speak often about the prepared environment for children. But we also intentionally prepare an environment for families.
When families feel known, connected, and welcomed, re-enrollment is not a decision made in isolation. It is a continuation of belonging.
Events like the Rock ’n Re-Enroll Sock Hop:
Reinforce cross-age connection from Early Childhood through Junior High
Create low-pressure opportunities for parent engagement
Strengthen relationships between families and faculty
Transform administrative milestones into shared celebrations
Advancement work often focuses on fundraising, strategic goals, and enrollment metrics. And those matter. But long-term strength begins with culture.
A community that dances together, laughs together, and builds friendships together is far more likely to stay together.
Strategic Joy
The Sock Hop was not just a party. It was a statement.
It said that re-enrollment is not paperwork. It is partnership.
It said that we celebrate commitment.
It said that school is not just a place for academic growth, but a community where families belong.
Fifty-plus years ago, a small group of parents built this school because they believed in something different. They built not only classrooms, but a culture.
Today, we continue that work in many ways: through rigorous academics, meaningful Montessori experiences, and yes, sometimes through a dance floor full of Mustangs rocking into another year together.
Because community is not built by accident.
Thank you to Cindi Matthes and Nicole and Danny Strash for all their hard work and creativity to build such an amazing event.