Managing student life—whether it’s coordinating travel, tracking leave requests, or ensuring overall student well-being—has always been a complex and time-consuming task for dorm parents. From paperwork to constant communication, the administrative side of student life management can quickly overwhelm staff. But how does software actually change the game?
To get a firsthand perspective, we spoke with Morgan Wirtanen, a former boarding student and current dorm parent who now works on our School Success Team. With a Bachelor of Science from UNB and four years of experience in the tech industry, Morgan has seen all sides of student life management—first as a student navigating leave requests and now as someone helping schools implement new solutions.
Before Software: A Paperwork Nightmare
Traditionally, student leave requests involved paper forms, endless email chains, and manual approvals. Tracking permissions, coordinating logistics, and ensuring compliance with school policies often meant long hours spent on admin work instead of student support.
👉 “At the time, we were desperate to shift away from archaic paper permission slips and provide greater visibility and transparency for faculty, parents, and students.”
— Robyn Cavanagh, Director of Technology, St. George’s School
Morgan remembers this scenario well:
“I was a boarding student trying to coordinate paper leave requests, and it was a nightmare. I had to juggle paper forms, call my mom to email the school, and hope everything got processed in time. Now, imagine being on the administrative side of that—managing hundreds of students all trying to leave last-minute on a Friday. Some schools I’ve worked with are still doing this in 2025, and it’s almost unbelievable.”
For many schools, weekends and breaks were the most hectic. With so many students submitting leave requests at once, paperwork tends to pile up to an unmanageable level.
The Shift to Software: More Time, Less Stress
By centralizing requests and automating approvals, Reach has taken the guesswork out of student travel. Dorm parents can now view travel details in real time, coordinate logistics seamlessly, and spend less time chasing down last-minute changes.
👉 “I’m spending fewer hours each week making lists and sending emails to keep track of leave requests and updating attendance lists, which is now time that I am devoting to working with our student leadership team and my students.”
— Mike Mottola, St. Stephen’s School, Rome
Morgan highlights one of the biggest time-saving benefits:
“The ability to find information instantly. No matter how organized you are, searching for a paper document is always slower than just pulling up the details in Reach. If a student is trying to sign out with me in the cafeteria, I can check everything I need to know right there—no calls to the admin office, no tracking down a missing permission slip or having students run across campus.”
More Than Just Convenience—A Safety Game-Changer
Beyond efficiency, digital leave management plays a critical role in student safety. Having a clear, centralized record of who is leaving, where they’re going, and how they’re getting there ensures that no detail is overlooked.
👉 “We use Reach for a range of other things as well such as guardianship questionnaires, so a lot of our students go to guardians over the half term and longer breaks and we have a duty of care for them while they’re there still in the UK, so we do check in with them when they get back and return to us. Over the years we’ve compiled a list of questions that we ask them to make sure that they have been safeguarded and looked after well and we use Reach to manage that.”
— Claire Ellis, Assistant Head of Pastoral and Boarding, Box Hill School
Morgan expands on how digital tools enhance student safety:
“It’s not just about knowing where students are—it’s about having all the right information at your fingertips. Driving permissions, pastoral notes tracking bullying incidents, emergency contacts, medications dispensed… all of it is available instantly. And, when there’s an off-campus incident, it’s a lifesaver. I’ve had a case where a local grocery store called about students causing a disturbance but didn’t have their names—we were able to check who had signed out to that location in seconds.”
Would They Go Back? Not a Chance.
When asked if they would return to the old way of managing student travel, the answer was clear: Not a chance.
👉 “Hours in front of the computer each week have transformed into meaningful contact time with students.”
— Mike Mottola, St. Stephen’s School, Rome
Morgan hears the same feedback from schools that have made the switch:
“Schools tell me they didn’t realize what was possible with Reach. They come in wanting a simple way to track leave requests and then start using features like the meals manager to save food costs and waste or the events module to streamline sign-ups without lists and Google Forms.
For leave management specifically, long weekends and breaks are so much easier. Instead of a chaotic lead-up to departure day, everything is tracked and organized—shuttles, homestays, student driver permissions, even reminders for students who haven’t submitted a request yet! There are countless solutions within Reach.”
The bottom line?
Technology isn’t replacing the human touch in boarding and day schools—it’s empowering dorm parents and educators to focus on what really matters: supporting students. By eliminating paperwork and streamlining processes, schools are giving staff more time for meaningful student interactions and making memories that last a lifetime.
Would your school ever go back to paper leave requests? If the answer is ‘not a chance,’ share your story with us—we’d love to hear from you! Want to learn more about Reach? Connect with our team today! Reach out at: info@reach.cloud.
