It’s so busy!  The first week of classes always turns into a whirlwind.  Returning students coming back to their favorite classes, lots of new students who just discovered the magic of McGroarty, big art supply orders, teachers putting the finishing touches on their curriculum.  The phones are ringing off the hook this week.  The office is packed.  Email boxes are full.  Our tiny administrative staff can barely keep up, but we love the excitement of the new session. 

All this busyness raises an important question:  how big should McGroarty get?  People love the homey atmosphere at McGroarty.  When you take classes here, you aren’t shuffled through as some nameless number.  The staff and students and teachers know each other.  We’re a family.  And I don’t want that to change.  At the same time, we’ve more than doubled enrollment in the last few years.  We ran 320 classes in 2009.  When you have 700 students coming each week, you have to put some systems in place that make things less personal.  So, how do we meet the needs of our community, while keeping it personal?  It’s a big question that we’re trying to figure out.