The Senior School hosted a zoom webinar for grade 8-12 parents with parenting expert Lisa Damour and college admissions expert Rick Clark, who provided guidance in navigating the parenting and college admissions journey with teens. They spoke about how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted teens, including national trends and behaviors, and how  parents can best support them. Parents also learned about current trends and discussions in college admissions to help them balance the nurturing that teens need against the high-stakes competitive admissions landscape.

SSA Parents: Watch a recording of the webinar (login required)

Hosted by SSA's partner, The Social Institute (TSI). TSI experts shared the latest updates and best practices to strengthen communications with children through student-respected conversation starters about social media and technology; empower students to navigate their well-being, daily social situations, social media, and technology in healthy ways, and develop shared family standards for balancing technology.

SSA Parents: Watch a recording of the webinar (login required)

The SSA College Counseling Office invited Senior School parents and students to spend a virtual evening with Jeff Selingo, author of the best-selling book, Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions. In a conversation with SSA Director of College Counseling Lauren Lieberman ‘98, Selingo dispelled entrenched notions of how to compete and win at the admissions game, revealed why families have much to gain by broadening their notion of what qualifies as a “good" college, and explained how the pandemic impacted admissions. The conversation was followed by a Q&A.

Shady Side Academy has partnered with The Social Institute (TSI) to help our students navigate challenges related to social media, technology and social-emotional health. PK-12 parents were invited to join this kickoff webinar for an overview of the TSI curriculum and a refreshing, practical and eye-opening presentation about parenting in the digital age, hosted by TSI founder and CEO Laura Tierney.

SSA Parents: Watch a Zoom recording of the TSI webinar (login required)

Glenn Hall, a senior prevention specialist with FCD Prevention Works, presented a workshop for SSA parents on substance use and abuse in adolescents. He shared some of the latest facts and statistics about drug and alcohol use, including the epidemic of teen vaping, and offered tips for parents on how to help their kids navigate these issues. Hall also spoke to Senior School students and faculty during his two-day visit to campus.

SSA Parents: Watch a video of Hall's presentation (login required)

Shady Side Academy joined the Pittsburgh Consortium of Independent Schools and Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures in presenting former Stanford University dean Julie Lythcott-Haims, the New York Times best-selling author of the anti-helicopter parenting manifesto, How to Raise an Adult, at the Carnegie Library Lecture Hall in Oakland.

Parenting and youth development expert Deborah Gilboa, M.D, popularly known as "Doctor G," spoke to parents about "the expectation gap" between parents and kids, and how parents can safely step back so youth can step up to grow in character, confidence and ability. The founder of AskDoctorG.com, Dr. Gilboa is an industry-leading speaker, author, social influencer and media personality, as well as a board-certified attending family physician at Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill Health Center. The presentation was free and open to the public. Dr. G also spoke to SSA students in grades 4-8.

Nationally recognized expert Dr. Suniya Luthar returned to SSA in fall 2018 to conduct an assessment of SSA students as part of her research on anxiety in youth at high-achieving schools. In October, Senior School students took an anonymous online survey covering topics such as personal values, empathy and kindness, depression and anxiety, substance abuse, and relationships with friends. Then in November, Dr. Luthar presented her preliminary findings and recommendations specific to the SSA community to PK-12 faculty and parents as well as to Senior School students.

SSA Parents: Watch a video of Dr. Luthar's presentation and view the presentation slides (login required)

Dr. Suniya Luthar, professor of psychology at Arizona State University and nationally recognized expert in vulnerability and resilience, worked with SSA PK-12 faculty at an in-service day and spoke to parents in the local community. She shared her research showing that teens in high-achieving schools and affluent communities experience significantly higher rates of anxiety, depression and substance use than national averages and offered parenting strategies for cultivating resilience in our children.

SSA Parents: Watch a video of Dr. Luthar's presentation and view the presentation slides (login required)

Dr. Sameer Hinduja, co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center, spoke to parents about how teens today are using and misusing their phones and various Internet-based technologies, with a focus on cyberbullying and unsafe social media practices. Some of the latest apps and sites were discussed, as well as what adults can do to mitigate problems within those environments. Dr. Hinduja also spoke to SSA Middle and Senior School students and faculty during his two-day visit to campus.

SSA Parents: Watch a video of Dr. Hinduja's presentation (login required)

John Tummon, a prevention specialist with FCD Prevention Works, presented a workshop for SSA parents to offer support and guidance in helping children enjoy an alcohol- and drug-free adolescence. He provided up-to-date facts and statistics about current drug and alcohol use and trends, and offered effective ways to communicate with children about alcohol and drugs from a health-based perspective. Tummon also spoke to students in grades 7-12 and to Middle and Senior School faculty during his two-day visit to campus.

PDF parent resources provided by FCD :

• Parenting for Prevention Factsheet for Parents
• What Parents Can Do
• Top Questions Parents Ask FCD
• The Social Norms Perspective for Parents
• Top Five Marijuana Talking Points for Parents
• Parental Involvement in Preventing Youth Substance Use
• Get the Conversation Going

SSA Parents: Watch a video of Tummon's presentation (login required)

Alexander Heffner, host of the PBS series The Open Mind, spoke to parents about the divisiveness saturating contemporary politics, the proliferation of fake news and social media clickbait, and how we can try to correct the vicious cycle of incivility. Heffner also spoke to Senior School students at an all-school assembly the following morning.

SSA held a free community screening of the documentary Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age, which is about the impact of the digital age on children and how to help them minimize harmful effects and find balance. SSA students in grades 6-10 also viewed the film in school.

Download the Parent Guide.

Clinical psychologist Dr. Catherine Steiner-Adair hosted a presentation and Q&A for parents on how technology and media use by kids and parents impacts childhood development and family relationships. She offered practical strategies for managing technology use and for nourishing attention, creativity, empathy and meaningful relationships. The presentation was made possible through SSA's partnership with WQED's iQ: SmartParent.

Diversity speaker/trainer Rosetta Lee hosted an evening presentation and Q&A for parents after working with SSA's PK-12 faculty during an in-service day. Lee shared research on identity development and discussed how parents can instill positive self-identity in their children and coach them to be positive influences on others' identities.

SSA Parents: Watch a video of Lee's presentation (login required)

Digital safety expert and Duquesne University professor Dr. David Delmonico spoke to Junior and Middle School parents about keeping their kids safe online. Delmonico also spoke to students in grades 3-8 during the school day.

Download the Parent Handout

SSA Parents: Watch the video of Dr. Delmonico's presentation (login required)

SSA hosted a free community screening of the documentary Most Likely to Succeed, which explores the history of education, revealing the growing shortcomings of our school model in todayʼs innovative world. The screening was followed by panel discussion.

Author and New Moon Girls Media founder Nancy Gruver hosted a presentation and Q&A for parents about how to talk to your daughter at various life stages about tough subjects such as peer pressure, cliques and self-esteem. Gruver's presentation was made possible through SSA's partnership with WQED's iQ: SmartParent.

SSA parent Susan Harchelroad, RN, led a presentation and educational discussion with parents about the effects of binge drinking by underage youth. The discussion used a non-judgmental, non-punitive approach to address the medical, social and legal ramifications of binge drinking.

Joel Feldman, founder of End Distracted Driving, spoke to parents about how many adults drive distracted, and how we can be better safe driving role models for our kids. Free community presentation. Feldman also spoke to Senior School students at an assembly.

Download the Family Safe Driving Agreement.

David Streight, executive director of the Center for Spiritual And Ethical Education, discussed five parenting practices that the last 30 years of research has shown to maximize the chances of raising kids with good moral reasoning skills who are empathic and altruistic. Free community lecture followed by Q&A. Streight also spoke to SSA faculty and staff earlier that day at an in-service program.

Michael Rich, M.D., M.P.H., a.k.a. "The Mediatrician," spoke about children's media usage and cyber-bullying at an SSA Parents' Association Lunch & Learn. Dr. Rich is the founder and director of the Center on Media and Child Health at Children's Hospital Boston.The presentation was made possible by SSA's partnership with WQED iQ: SmartParent.

SSA Parents: Watch a video of Dr. Rich's SSA presentation (login required)

Child development expert and author Leonard Sax, M.D., Ph.D., discussed parenting strategies for social media, online behavior and video games. Free community lecture followed by Q&A.

The play Everything Is Fine was presented by Prime Stage Theatre to raise awareness of teen dating violence. Free community performance followed by panel discussion.

SSA hosted a free community screening of the documentary film Miss Representation, which explores how the media's misrepresentation of women has led to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence. The screening was followed by panel discussion.

SSA hosted a free community screening of the education-focused documentary Race to Nowhere, which explores the high-pressure, high-stakes culture of achievement that pervades the lives of American students and teachers. The screening was followed by panel discussion.

Educator, psychologist and author JoAnn Deak, Ph.D., spoke to SSA parents about child development, learning, identity formation and brain research.

Psychologist and author Robert Brooks, Ph.D., a leading speaker on the themes of resilience, self-esteem, motivation and family relationships, spoke to SSA parents about raising resilient children.