Parents

On April 8, 2026, Jennifer Wallace joined the MPA to discuss her groundbreaking new book Mattering, in which she shared a transformative framework to confront the loneliness, burnout, and lack of purpose affecting so many people (parents and kids alike). Following up on her last book, Never Enough, which explored toxic achievement culture, she discussed why mattering, the feeling that we are valued and have an opportunity to add value, is essential to our wellbeing, and how to build our 'mattering core' amidst so many competing pressures.

View a Recording of the Program

On October 14, 2025, New York Times bestselling author Dr. Lisa Damour joined the MPA to share a practical approach to kids and social technologies. She discussed pragmatic boundaries for kids of all ages, problematic social media use, communicating with our kids effectively, and young people turning to AI for advice or companionship.

Attendees left with clear strategies for helping kids develop healthy digital lives.

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On April 3, 2025, The MPA welcomed Max Stossel to McDonogh to lead an interactive educational session with our parent community on helping children use technology in a healthy way. He also met with Middle School and Upper School students during his visit.

Max is an award-winning artist, Founder of Social Awakening, and Youth and Education Advisor for the Center for Humane Technology. His work focuses on understanding social media's impact on our lives, creating resources to help manage that impact, and fostering healthy relationships with technology and social media.

He has spent the past seven years speaking with 100,000+ students, parents, and educators worldwide about these important topics, 

Listen to the discussion here.  

On October 17, 2024, NY Times bestselling author Dr. Lisa Damour joined us for a discussion about healthy sleep strategies. She shared why "sleep is the glue that holds human beings together," discussed practical tips for ensuring our kids get enough sleep, explored common culprits for teens getting inadequate rest, and more. 

View the program. 

On October 10, 2024, NY Times Bestselling Author Heather McGhee joined us for a discussion about her book, "The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together." 

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On September 30, 2024, E&I Director Enaye Englenton shared how diversity, equity, and inclusion are integrated into McDonogh's core principles and strategic goals.

On April 11, 2024, Dr. Lisa Damour, author of three New York Times bestsellers, joined parents for a "Lunch and Learn" webinar. She discussed her book, The Emotional Lives of Teenagers, a guide to help parents understand their teenagers’ intense and often fraught emotional lives—and how to support them through this critical developmental stage.

Listen to the discussion here. 

On February 7, 2024, author and award-winning reporter Jennifer Wallace joined parents for a "Lunch and Learn" webinar to discuss her book, Never Enough. Drawing on interviews with families, educators, and an original survey of over 6,000 parents, Wallace’s book exposes how the pressure to perform is not a matter of parental choice but baked into our larger society and spurred by increasing income inequality and dwindling opportunities. 

Listen to the discussion here. 

On January 23, 2024, parents gathered in the Mullan Board Room for dinner and a discussion about The Assignment by Liza Wiemer. On December 12, 2023, Wiemer engaged with parents, faculty, and staff during a Lunch and Learn session. Read about her visit. 

On January 17, 2024, The MPA hosted a panel discussion on the current trends impacting our children, including the legalization of marijuana and the fentanyl crisis. Panelists talked about the potential risks and offered practical tips on how to have open and honest conversations with children. 

Panelists included Nancy Love, Director of Wellness at McDonogh; Scott Shellenberger, Baltimore County State's Attorney; Greg Hobelmann, M.D., M.P.H., Co-CEO of Ashley Treatment Center; Ifeoluwa Omitowoju, MD; and Leah Sera, PharmD, MA, BCPS.

View the program.

On December 12, 2023, the McDonogh Parents Association, in collaboration with the Office of Equity and Inclusion, teamed up with the Jewish Library of Baltimore to invite Liza Wiemer, author of The Assignment, to campus. Wiemer engaged with more than forty parents, faculty, and staff during a Lunch and Learn session, discussing her journey in writing The Assignment and advocating for the importance of being proactive against injustice. Read more about her visit. 

On April 18, 2023, Director of Greatest Good McDonogh Bridget Collins provided an overview of the integrated coursework and experiential learning that is inspiring empathy and philanthropic engagement in our students.

On March 2, 2023, the MPA hosted an informative and engaging evening with New York Times bestselling author Julie Lythcott-Haims. Drawing on her experience as a mother, the former dean of freshmen at Stanford University, and research with educators and admissions officers, Julie led a thought-provoking talk and offered practical strategies underlining the importance of allowing children to make their own mistakes and develop the resilience, resourcefulness, and inner determination necessary to become healthy, thriving adults.