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It was an honor to welcome the competition to campus, and many mentors and members of the Parker community came together to make it a success. Donor Impact: Securing the Future of Parker Robotics “These kids blow me away each and every day. They actually give me hope for the future,” said Tom Wetherald about his volunteer work with the Parker Robotics program. A former Parker parent, Tom has been a Robotics mentor for an impressive 17 years. Alumni You Need to Know: Marc Sherman, Marriage and Family Therapist Marc Sherman’s ’88 shift from the corporate world to becoming a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist followed a moment of spiritual intervention. One night, a crystal clear dream inspired him to change everything. Strengthening Connections and Community with Wellness Between classes and long study sessions across Parker’s campuses, students might notice bubbles drifting through the air, a therapy dog wagging its tail, or classmates gathered around a table with Play-Doh. It may look like just play, but behind it is a thoughtful effort to benefit student well-being. The Latest Sweet Victories for Parker’s Student Clubs Individual Lancers and student organizations recently traveled beyond our campuses to participate in competitions spanning from the STEM disciplines to the dramatic arts. Read more to see where our students competed and the accolades they received. Global Learning: Grade 12 Students Immerse Themselves in Japan’s Culture and Community This spring, a group of students traveled to Japan as part of a 14-day program centered around educational travel. Through their reflections, students share what they learned, experienced, and discovered along the way. Winter Sports Wrap-up The 2025-2026 Winter Sports Season was a historic one for the Lancers, marked by rivalry wins, regional championship titles, state playoff runs, and All-League and all-CIF honors. Each head coach reflected on their team’s accomplishments, sharing highlights, challenges, and the moments that defined the season, and student-athletes offered reflection as well. Alumni You Need to Know: Annika Meurer ’15, Event Operations, Global Sports Annika Meurer ’15 has long been passionate about sports. “I've always grown up around football. I was the girl who watched SportsCenter at five years old. Our dog was named Romo after Tony Romo.” Mock Trial Team Secures Impressive Wins This Season The 2025-2026 Mock Trial season has come to a close, and we couldn't be prouder of the dedication and professionalism our students brought to the courtroom. Competing against 44 teams across San Diego County, Parker made a strong showing, with the Gold Team earning seventh place and the Brown Team finishing 12th. Alumni You Need to Know: Säm Bagheri ’13, Fintech Entrepreneur ​Säm Bagheri ’13 was only 17 when he first caught the entrepreneurial bug, an interest born from the desire to identify complex problems and design effective solutions. Today, as the co-founder of NOJU—a financial technology company committed to democratizing access to the digital economy—this desire continues to drive him. An Update on AI Integration at Parker We are pleased to share the latest progress on schoolwide Artificial Intelligence practices as we foster AI literacy. Read more to learn how we evaluate new technologies, approach ethical and philosophical considerations, build student experiences, and establish outcomes we expect by the end of this academic year. New Chapters: Celebrating Retiring and Departing Faculty and Staff As we begin the final trimester, we want to take a moment to recognize those faculty and staff members who have shared with us that they will be retiring or leaving Parker at the end of the school year. We are grateful for their contributions and lasting impact on the Parker community. Francis Parker School Athletics Department Earns Prestigious NIAAA Quality Program Assessment Award Francis Parker School recently reached a prestigious milestone by being named a recipient of the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) Quality Program Assessment (QPA) Award. Lawrence Commons Art Exhibition: AP Artists Explore Identity and Beyond The walls of Lawrence Commons were transformed into a gallery of student vision and voice as the 2D Art Department debuted its first AP Art Exhibition. Featuring work from both AP 2D Art and AP Drawing students, the show highlighted a wide range of styles, themes, and techniques, all thoughtfully curated by the artists themselves. Performing Arts Photo Gallery Round Up From Mission Hills to Linda Vista, the Parker stage has been alive with talent. Keep reading for photo highlights from a variety of our performances this school year. Please bear with us as archival content is migrated from our old Parker News website through December 2025.