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VOLUME I vISSUE I A U G U S T 2 0 1 9
Get Connected
SC Featured Admission Director: Bowdre Fortson Director of Admission St. Margaret's School 804.443.3357 ext. 3080 -‐ office 910.850.0048 -‐ cell phone [email protected] www.sms.org
1. Favorite thing about admissions? Admissions brings people together: parents, students, alumni, consultants, school counselors. It is truly a unique way to connect with others in a global way! Those connections make this field worthwhile. I'll never forget working with a student in boarding school admissions then four years later working with her again through the college admissions process. It was the coolest AHA moment! 2. Other roles you have at school? Varsity soccer coach, senior class sponsor, Scottie guide club sponsor. 3. Activities to relax? Boating. Living on the Rappahannock River has its perks. Walking down to the dock after a long day of phone calls and conversations just washes away when you get on your boat and take a cruise (with friends aboard, as well as your pup). 4. Favorite book? How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie 5. Most memorable admissions trip? Bedi-‐Walker's Carribean Tour last November. Connecting with the other admissions counselors was hands down the best part of the trip! Not only did they provide beautiful destinations for the fairs, but the people on the tour were truly connecting in regard to best practices, memorable admissions stories (the good, bad, and the ugly), and everything in between. St. Margaret's School is an independent, Episcopal, all-‐girls school located in the town of Tappahannock, Virginia.
AN ONLINE NEWSLETTER FOR EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS
Patrick’s Ponderings: Founder & President School Connections 443-‐564-‐1809 [email protected] www.schoolconnections.org “A person who feels appreciated will always do more than expected.” I love this quote and hope everyone is appreciated at work and home. Can we affect whether we are appreciated? Probably not. But if you treat others with respect and appreciation then it can't hurt right? Life is more complicated than this of course, but if you keep this thought in mind with the people you work with I guarantee everyone will be happier and more productive. Tip: Try keeping a "Me" file. Put nice notes, cards and emails in a file for the times you don't feel appreciated. Just open it up and you'll instantly feel better.
In the News: 7 Education Trends to Watch in 2019 MDR Education 6 Demographic Trends Shaping the US and the World Pew Research Center Chinese Market Statistics Export.gov
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SC Featured Consultant: Cathy Byerly Independent School Options 218 N. Lee Street, Suite 323 Alexandria, VA 22314 703-‐671-‐8316 (o) 703-‐997-‐8438 (f) www.independentschooloptions.com 1. My favorite things are: knowing I helped a client through a really rough patch and helped them see the light at the end of the tunnel. Or, that I enlightened a family about a school option they never would have found and it was the BEST THING EVER for their child, AND, the fabulous, wonderful, kind program, school and consultant people I am proud to call my friends. 2. Outside of consulting: I am the President of WISER, a networking organization in the Metro DC area, made up of educators and schools who work with students with special needs. I am also on the membership committee of NATSAP. Outside of business, I am the Chair of Membership for the Advisory Board of The Mitchell Gallery at St. John's College, Annapolis, MD. 3. Activities to relax: I love reading (especially mysteries and espionage), cooking, traveling and being with family and friends. 4. Favorite book: Still working on that. 5. Most memorable professional trip: Probably when I escorted a group of boarding school reps through Asia, including the touring of Pad Pong with the more "Matronly members." OR, my very *irst trip to Utah, where I literally sneezed every 20-‐30 seconds for the (irst 24 hours I was there. Sneezed my way through 3 program visits! Everyone either thought I was a little crazy or was going to die on their doorstep!
SC Featured Consultant: Krissy Naspo Krissy Naspo, M.A. Senior Associate The Bertram Group, LLC 8 Wright Street, Suite 107 Westport, Connecticut 06880 401-‐965-‐0075 (w) www.thebertramgroup.com 1. Favorite thing about being a consultant is helping individual families with their own personal and family needs. I love teaching them about a school or program they didn't know anything about and helping them find the best fit for their child. When working with families that need more of a non-‐traditional placement, I like being able to help a family through a challenging situation and getting them to the other side. Either way, I enjoy working as a team with the family to find the best options. 2. Outside of consulting, I am on the IECA Foundation board. I am proud of the time spent raising money and soliciting sponsorships for the IECA Foundation events and am pleased to say that we gave out over $101,000 last year to 28 amazing groups and organizations. This is a nice way to give back to more organizations and to have a wider reach than I could on my own. 3. Activities to relax: I enjoy hanging out with friends. Whether we are traveling, watching reality TV, or enjoying some adult beverages, it is always nice to be with friends. 4. Favorite book: I am a huge audio book person now that I am on the road a lot, but don't have a favorite of all time, maybe House on Mango Street, or A Farewell to Arms. 5. Most memorable professional trip: has to be one of my Asia trips back when I was in Admissions. I traveled religiously with Mimi Babcock then from Indian Mountain School, and my travel husband, Caleb Thomson, from Fessenden School. We had so many fun adventures, laughs and crazy road stories that I can't even think about those years without smiling. They were my family on the road and we spent months together each year. It was amazing and will always be unforgettable. Once, in Thailand we used every type of public transportation you can think of all in one day and got lost more than once, but it was one of the most incredible experiences to explore the world with such good friends. Now, I enjoy visiting places in the U.S. that I had never visited like Asheville, Salt Lake City, Bend, and St. George.
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SC Featured Director of Business Development: Tracey Bachrach Tracey Bachrach, MAPP, CTRS Director of Business Development Point School Puerto Rico 484-‐450-‐6878 (w) [email protected] www.pointschoolpr.com 1. Favorite thing about admissions work is being connected with the students and families. As a direct care staff in wilderness therapy, I knew my students intimately and witnessed their transformation processes (irst hand. I loved watching my students grow and evolve into healthy young people. As a Business Development Manager, I was solely focused on outreach and thus removed from the individual growth stories. Doing admissions and outreach allows me to speak passionately and knowledgeably about the services at Point School Puerto Rico because I am hearing their initial stories, witnessing their positive growth and change throughout their stay, and following up with them after they transition to see how they're using their strengths long term. I believe it is imperative and bene/icial to build relationships with all of our young men even after the admissions process is completed. I ask for their feedback and insight into our program and processes, share my own observations of their growth as an outside party, and let them know how much I care about their wellbeing. 2. Other roles at Point School? I am the Director of Business Development for Point School Puerto Rico, which means I do outreach, marketing, program tours, community relations and admissions. I also really enjoy program development. With my Masters of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, we've integrated positive psychology theory and practice into the PSPR curriculum. I've enjoyed designing and implementing a character strengths development and positive self-‐discovery component within our program. Being onsite in Puerto Rico also allows me to be hands-‐on with program development, execution, and growth projects. I also enjoy presenting on positive psychology at conferences and events nationwide. Being so involved in the creation and implementation of Point School Puerto Rico makes it easy to speak confidently and passionately about the services we provide while doing admissions and outreach! 3. Activities to relax: Designing and actualizing a program focused on wellbeing reminds me that even admissions and marketing people have to slow down and prioritize personal wellness. I read for pleasure and do yoga every morning before I start my work day. This helps me feel grounded and focused so I can bring my best self to work. When I'm feeling overwhelmed, I take advantage of the island activities like sur2ing, swimming, and paddle boarding to relieve tension or 2ind new inspiration. I usually end each day on my front porch, watching the sunset over the Caribbean. It's not a bad life! 4. Favorite book: I feel like I need to reply with my favorite book relevant to admissions, marketing, and business development which would be anything by Adam Grant. He is an organizational psychologist at Wharton School of Business at UPenn with intelligent insight and research on work relations, boosting creativity in a workplace, and successful decision-‐making. I highly recommend any of his books if you're looking for professional inspiration. But...My favorite book ever, hands down, is Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. It's historical fiction based in England during the 1100s. It has a little bit of everything: mystery, murder, intrigue, romance, education, philosophy, and brilliant character development. It's 800 pages of pure art, and it is only the first of a trilogy of novels! Let me know when you've read it, and we'll discuss! Book clubs are one of my favorite things! 5. Most memorable admissions trip: My $irst outreach trip was my most memorable. I'm a $irst generation college graduate from a blue-‐collar family. I worked three jobs to pay my own way through undergrad. I had big dreams of travel, adventure, and making the world a better place with little resources to make it happen. I thought maybe it would always be just a dream. After graduation, I worked as a wilderness therapy 2ield guide for four years before I landed a position in business development. My 2irst outreach trip was a total system shock, and I immediately fell in love with this community of caring and interesting people who were creatively and passionately sharing their ideas for the betterment of the next generation. So, yes, my 9irst outreach trip was to the national NATSAP conference in La Jolla, California where I smiled for four days straight while thinking to myself, "This is my job. I'm getting paid to do this!"
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SC FEATURED EDITORIAL WEBSITE ADVICE FOR PROGRAMS Jenney Wilder, M.S. Ed. Jenney's first career was working in startups during web 1.0 in the mid 1990s, when she asked the founders of Google "What do you do at Google?" Jenney moved into the Family Choice Behavioral Healthcare industry in 2005, first as a Therapeutic Consultant and now as the owner and producer of allkindsoftherapy.com. All Kinds of Therapy is an advertising based website to find the facts, has a monthly newsletter, 180+ blogs, industry jobs and serves over 100,000. Parents needing support for their troubled teens and young adults, look for answers using the Internet to search for facts. According to Pew Research in 2013, 80% of Internet users (about 93 million people) were searching for health-‐related topics. 63% of those users were looking for specific disease or medical problem. Therefore, having a clear understanding of the digital landscape -‐ both your presence and any competition's -‐ is a key to understanding what a family is seeing when they are looking for you. In the same way that a trusting relationship is the foundation of effective treatment, trust is also the primary currency of the digital age and the Internet. Your digital presence communicates critical information to stakeholders (including potential clients, employees, referral sources, etc.), and either builds or erodes trust -‐ before you even know you are being evaluated. Your online reputation extends beyond your webpage, and includes search results, reviews, Google rankings, mentions in forums, and many other elements. In short, if families do not find reasons to trust you then you are creating an enrollment problem. Your website must answer critical questions, build trust, and move a family into action. Here are some tips for evaluating your website and its content:
1. Does your website build trust? Quantify: Build credibility by displaying customer reviews, achievements, or the number of clients you've worked with. Respond to ALL feedback and reviews -‐-‐ positive AND negative.
2. Who do you serve? Do you have a clearly defined client profile? (If you have a wide admissions window, be honest and direct.) Explain, clearly, how your model helps your students.
3. Is your story/history your real "brand" (which lends to #2)? It is not just Millennials who like to know and trust the brand. Share your origin story and where the program is heading. Authenticity = show your warts, own our growth, evolution and even the negative history.
4. Keep it simple = Less is more TIP: Almost no one really reads your incredible copy so make sure what you write is short, clean, accurate, builds trust, and moves a site visitor toward your goal: a human contact, getting them to email or call and call speak to someone in the admissions office. It is not uncommon for families to reach out to allkindsoftherapy.com and "think they are emailing the treatment program or wilderness therapy program." Users of the web get lost in content, especially when they are in crisis. This means that you have to know that families also get lost in the negative websites, chat forums, and other dark reaches of the Internet, as well. For instance, there are over 8600 former clients and families who are in a Reddit group actively speaking negatively about the industry or specific treatment programs. Developing healthy and positive practices to address this reality of the digital landscape demonstrates growth, evolution, and honesty -‐ all of which also engender trust with future clients and stakeholders of all kinds.
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