Since the 2020 merger of Moravian Academy and The Swain School, our school has made significant, incremental progress toward developing the unique programmatic and cultural aspects of each campus that align with our shared mission as a unified school. With valuable community input from students, families, alumni, and employees, and guided by the recommendations of the Culture Committee, Strategic Planning Committees, and Crane + Peters, this work is ongoing. It's an exciting time at Moravian Academy, but with change comes questions. Please see our frequently asked questions below.

Approved by the Board of Trustees, May 10, 2023

The role of the Board of Trustees is to ensure the continued success and sustainability of the school, and the merger presented the opportunity to combine resources, strengthen financial sustainability, and increase collaboration between the schools. Both Swain and Moravian saw declining enrollment and increasing operational costs. We recognized, by merging, both schools could benefit from greater resources to increase their capabilities and expand programming.  It is why we used the theme “Stronger Together” to describe the merger.  That indeed is the case!

Our school continues to evolve thanks to the rich exchange of ideas between faculty from all campuses, aiding Moravian Academy in creating and maintaining excellent 21st-century academic programs. The merger allows each campus to control its curriculum or pedagogy and creates space for innovation and excellent education, for which each campus is known to the forefront. 

There are existing programs on each campus that will remain distinct, such as the Spanish Immersion Program at Moravian’s Downtown Campus and the Engineering and Design program at the Swain campus. The strategic planning process that was recently launched will help to guide new developments in curriculum and signature programs which will then be designed by each school and guided by the overarching mission and vision of the school.

The Swain name is well recognized in the Lehigh Valley and will remain. In fact, it was written into the merger agreement that the Swain name would continue to be used. It now appears as the "Swain Campus" to support the understanding that Swain is one of the three campuses that are part of Moravian Academy.  Developing a communication strategy that clearly defines the unique aspects of each campus and the combined benefits of being one school is important work that the board and administration are currently engaged in.

There are several reasons why we kept the Moravian Academy name as a merged school, most having to do with size and existing name recognition. From an institutional advancement perspective, Moravian Academy had a greater number of alumni, donors, and other stakeholders connected to the name. Additionally, hundreds of endowment gifts would have been affected by a name change, which is a legally complicated matter. From a programming perspective, Moravian Academy had two campuses and a larger student body, and all PS-grade 8 students can matriculate to the Moravian Academy Upper School. It made sense that, Swain, the smaller school, would become a part of "Moravian Academy" while retaining the Swain identity. At Swain, close-knit, nurturing, and family-like hallmarks are the essence of this campus. Our goal as we move forward is to enhance the unique aspects on each campus while having school-wide commitments to excellence in teaching and learning and student development.

We would argue that we're not so different after all! Both are independent schools with compelling histories that prioritize educational excellence and the development of character, even if the paths to realize these and the overall student experience differ on each campus. 

Historically, students who matriculated from both our Downtown and Swain Campuses have flourished at Merle-Smith. Now, we can enhance and expand the programs and cultural aspects of each campus that result in a successful Upper School experience. 

It's important to note that Merle-Smith offers students from Swain and Downtown a culture that is at once new and familiar.

There is no intention to change the role of religion on any of our campuses. On the Downtown Campus, students attend a regular chapel program that combines singing, readings, and personal meditations from multiple religious traditions, including Moravian and other Christian faiths, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and others. The Swain Campus is intentionally secular to separate the practice of any religion, faith, or spiritual tradition from the educational experience of students; however, Swain does welcome and teaches students about multiple religions, holidays, and cultures through speakers at town meetings and parent presentations in classrooms. On the Merle-Smith Campus, the weekly chapel represents an opportunity for students to share personal experiences and hear from guest speakers.

This distinction is one that we see as important because there are meaningful differences between our campuses, but all share a core belief in the transmission of community values and curiosity on various religions, belief systems, holidays, and cultural norms.  

The Culture Committee--made up of representatives from each campus to explore and discuss the various traditions, cultures, features, and aspects of the pre-merger Moravian and Swain-- will make an initial assessment and recommendation to school administration on opportunities to align, adopt, or retire elements that will strengthen the sense of community and school pride.  The committee is reviewing topics like school events, traditions, colors, school songs, and logos.  

We strongly believe in maintaining important traditions for each school like Founder’s Day at Swain and Vespers at Moravian. What is important here is this is not a “takeover” of any school.  We honor and respect the unique traditions and identity of each campus while looking for opportunities to gather and identify as a single unified school. We encourage our students, faculty, parents, and alumni to add their voices to this process. 

Accreditation by the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools (PAIS) ensures the public that member schools meet and maintain articulated standards of educational excellence. Every 10 years, PAIS provides member schools with a professional peer review by teachers and administrators from other member schools. The process holds schools publicly accountable to all who seek assurance that they meet accepted standards of educational quality, operation, and staff competence. Authorization to accredit member schools has been granted to the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools by the Pennsylvania Department of Education under the provisions of the Private Academic Schools Act No. 1988-11. PAIS is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and the International Council Advancing Independent School Accreditation (ICAISA).