At Mayfield Senior, we’re familiar with the grand estate of MSS and what sets it apart from other schools in this area. Comparing it to the original mayfield which is set on acres and acres of rolling green hills and forests. They have multiple playing fields for different sports and an equestrian center. They also have a church from the middle ages and boarding facilities.
Melissa Tighe, who has been a teacher at Mayfield Senior in Pasadena for more than 30 years made the pilgrimage to Mayfield in Sussex England for the first time in Summer ‘22. “I got to visit with my two daughters who went to Mayfield schools grades K-12,” Tighe said. “ Seeing the tomb of Cornelia Connelly was epic for all of us.” Other favorite things that happened on Tighe’s visit was meeting the head of school who walked in from the neighboring village.
One of the things she values about our community is That we aren’t a school that only celebrates one type of gift but that we value our community members for the different gifts they offer. She sees our school like a symphony orchestra where we want to hear all the different types of instruments so we play beautiful, complex music versus being a school that only plays songs that feature, say, their violin players. One characteristic that MSS and Mayfield share is that they are good at prioritizing the joy of learning and growing together. And the People are grateful and celebratory about working together towards worthy goals.
On Mayfield Senior Schools website, they describe the school by saying…“We are a school where the powers of faith, community and excellence create an irresistible place of discovery that draws us together with enthusiasm every day.” Mayfield in Sussex describes their school by saying…“We are a school where the powers of faith, community and excellence create an irresistible place of discovery that draws us together with enthusiasm every day.” The background between the two schools and missions statements are: Mayfield Senior Schools mission statement is: “Celebrating God’s presence in one another and our world, and inspired by our founder Cornelia Connelly, Mayfield’s mission is to provide young women an intellectually empowering learning community of joy and belonging, where students enact their faith and love by transforming the world with their God-given gifts.” Mayfield Girls school: To empower young women to realize their potential in a strong community rooted in the Catholic Faith, where everyone is welcomed and nurtured. To foster an environment of trust in which each student is known individually, able to be herself, and encouraged to explore and develop her talents and interests. To deliver a creative, innovative, and academically enriching curriculum which enables all students to grow emotionally, intellectually and spiritually.
I asked a current Mayfield Senior student, Sissy Page, who is part of campus ministry, part of the faith (faith and action and thought) community. I asked her What it’s like being a holy child student by cornelia connelly, she says that “the idea that all students need to develop all parts of themselves not just their academics, but also theirselves, their athletics, their arts, all parts of it, are part of who we are, so we need to develop all that as students.” I then asked her if being part of not just one school but the holy child network if and what it meant to her, she says that “for me it has a lot of meaning because I came from another holy child school, Mayfield Junior school so I think being able to continue that kind of education is very special and the idea that other people around the country and world can experience that too.”
