Hello everyone, how are you?

Are you happy, healthy, bored, tired, worried, or all the above? I’ve got to admit I’m feeling it all as I’m sure most of you are as well. It’s a crazy time, but we are strong, optimistic, flexible, and confident; ready to take this on for as long as we need to. These are all things that we believe in and it’s what we try to instill in every single student that enters our doors. 

We strive to equip our students with the tools to successfully navigate life; whether everything is going as planned or you never know what the next moment is going to bring you. We at NPD want to not only celebrate the wins but help show our students how to handle the difficult. What kind of role models would we be if we cancelled everything and shut our doors? What message would that be sending to all our students, their families and the community? We will continue to work towards our mission and we know that our mission brings joy to hundreds each a week! We won’t leave your side, we are going to be there to support you all through this tumultuous time. 

I won’t say this has been a perfect transition; technical problems, communication troubles, and curriculum that needs to be modified to work in whatever space our students had to work in. But we are committed to running classes for all of our students from ages 10 months to adult. 

But I’ve asked my staff to make it work; think outside the box, figure out the how to make it happen, send your positivity and spirit through that computer and let those students know that we are here for them; and they did! They jumped on board without hesitation or question, digging to find the silver lining. 

I’m not usually one to gush but here it is. My staff is impressive.  My staff is awesome. Truly AWESOME, defined as: “causing or inducing awe; inspiring an overwhelming feeling of reverence and admiration.” Laura and Mackenzie sprang into action setting up Zoom accounts and websites, answering emails and rescheduling our upcoming events. Katherine, Grace and Zach took every class on our schedule and modified them to work within the home, to keep our students moving forward, and to continue to work toward the goals we set in front of them at the beginning of the year. Whether that student is 2 years old and working on confidence or a teen that has been struggling to perfect their technique alongside artistry; it is all important, especially now. 

NPD’s 2020 vision is not turning out quite the way we planned but we WILL do everything that we set out to do even if it isn’t within this school year. It may not be the same timing but we will complete everything we started. Nothing and no one can make us change course. We are moving forward with confidence, inspiration, empowerment, and belief that what we are doing is having an impact on the lives of our precious students, giving them a sense of normalcy, schedule, and a feeling of control in what seems like an uncontrollable situation. We will be there, online, waiting for your child to sign on and we will give them a class where they can be anything they want to be, where they can control exactly how they navigate it, where they can feel pride for overcoming an obstacle, where they can feel support and trust. Because after all that is what we do at NPD; whether we’re in quarantine or it’s a normal Tuesday at the studio. This is why we do what we do.  Thank you for your continued support.