Traditional teacher evaluations ask students to rate the effectiveness of instruction and pedagogy in the classroom, but students often don’t know what helps them learn best, leading to inaccurate data and a lack of teacher buy-in. We will share our revised student feedback tool, based on a student’s need to be known, focused, and supported. We will also share the research that led to this change and the subsequent impact on teaching at Mercersburg.
Amy Kelley, Mercersburg Academy
Jennifer Smith, Mercersburg Academy
Artificial intelligence has advanced and is now integrated into our daily lives. But how does it really work? What is AI? How does it think and make decisions? In this presentation, I will explain how the algorithms that power AI work in general terms that anyone can understand. No prior knowledge is necessary. Knowing how AI functions will give you a deeper understanding of its strengths and weaknesses, as well as possible future innovative applications.
Michael Lomuscio, ‘Iolani School
Learn how Pomfret School implemented an experiential learning course that engages students in solving real-world problems and the impact of the course on our community. The curriculum focuses on food insecurity in America: understanding the complexities of the problem and educating our school community on these issues. Throughout the course, students plan, pack and deliver backpack meals to the local elementary school. They must pose questions, solve problems and assume responsibility for the program to be successful.
Brenda Bullied, Pomfret School
Anne Richards, Pomfret School
This workshop will provide simple, practical ways that classroom teachers can begin to incorporate Emotional Intelligence into their courses and collaborate with other professionals at their schools to begin to raise the Emotional Intelligence of their overall school culture. The workshop will be led by a classroom teacher, a school psychologist, and the director of our school’s health and wellness program. Participants will have the opportunity to practice some of these strategies and will leave with some simple tools they can begin implementing immediately in their classrooms and beyond.
John Gregory, Asheville School
Mary Elizabeth Martin, Asheville School
Scott Miller, Asheville School
A confluence of factors today is creating a tipping point for the teaching profession: The number of teachers leaving their jobs is increasing, the number of college students pursuing teaching continues to decrease; and burnout continues to be significant for educators after the pandemic. Generational trends and new priorities suggest rethinking the traditional “triple threat model” for independent schools, expanding this to consider a new model that supports faculty thriving and student engagement. This presentation will consider the possibilities for moving forward.
Jeffrey Domina, Phillips Andover Academy
Greg Martin, Vermont Academy
Michael Spencer, St. Paul’s School
We will lead a discussion on the trends monitored from independent schools across the nation. This will cover a range of topics related to the giving landscape, financial aid need, and demographic shifts, as well as their impact on school fundraising strategy: How can historic fundraising trends inform how schools adjust fundraising strategy during times of economic uncertainty?· What has changed about the ways financial aid is sought and granted?· Who is most likely to give to your school, and why? Is it alumni, parents, or other community members?· Finally, what are the impacts of demographic cliffs and shifts on school strategy? How will the makeup of your constituents change, and what effects and takeaways exist relative to fundraising efforts? By staying attuned to these trends, you can ensure that your school is well positioned to meet the challenges and opportunities of the future.
Erica Pettis, Graham-Pelton
What is the state of boarding school enrollment? This data-rich session will feature key findings from the Enrollment Management Association’s recent State of the Independent School Enrollment Report with an emphasis on data and takeaways for boarding schools. Interested in learning how many FTEs should be in your enrollment office? Wondering if admission or enrollment is the best title? Want to know the latest DEI admission practices? Come to this session to equip yourself with the most up-to-date data and insights from EMA!
Christina Dotchin, Enrollment Management Association
Hans Mundahl, Enrollment Management Association
Take a deep dive into what other school recruiters do as they look at planning an international recruitment trip. This session will go through case studies, budget plans, the ability to cohort with other schools, and the proper channel’s to help guide your trip and make it successful. Join three schools as they discuss how they navigate this and what they have learned over the years.
Phillip Dunbridge, Hebron Academy
Andrew Garlinski, Shattuck-St. Mary’s School
Vanessa Goulding, ICEF
Tyler Hart, Cushing Academy
Thinking about rebranding your financial aid department? Join representatives from Lawrenceville who will share their experience shifting from the “Financial Aid Office” to the “Office of Scholarship Aid”? The discussion will cover:
1) why the importance of a name change and what it signifies
2) what are some concrete examples of how the operation has modernized and
3) education both internally and externally on the goal of access and affordability.
Greg Buckles, The Lawrenceville School
Lauren Gold, The Lawrenceville School
By June, the Supreme Court is slated to rule on SFFA v. Harvard, which experts expect may fundamentally shift how educational institutions assess race in admissions decisions. No matter which way the Court rules, admission practices around diversity, equity, and inclusion are critical issues for all schools. This interactive session will explore how the Harvard ruling impacts boarding schools, and will provide school leaders with tips on how they should respond to the ruling.
Brian Garrett, McLane Middleton
Hans Mundahl, Enrollment Management Association
How is our applicant pool changing? What are best practices for marketing to this shifting international and domestic demographic? How can we best work with COVID-disrupted children and hands-on, anxious parents? What are the best new assessment methods in this test optional/chatbot landscape? A panel consisting of a range of enrollment directors and an educational consultant/psychologist will address these macro questions that are driving current and future enrollment management best practices.
Charles Brown, Indian Mountain School
Amy Graham, Stevenson School
Jill Hutchins, Dublin School
Don McMillan, McMillan Education
Dr Sarah McMillan, McMillan Education
Video/virtual tools like Zoom have provided an opportunity to connect with alumni all over the world. Utilizing this resource, I developed an engagement series exclusively for alumni who have celebrated their 50th Reunion and older. To date we’ve engaged 1/3 of the audience that has working email addresses.
Jennifer Keyo, Westminster School
The relationship between Heads of School and Chief Advancement Officers are critical, not only for the financial sustainability of schools, but also for building relationships with a wide range of constituents. We invite you to come and hear from two heads and two advancement leaders about the importance of collaborating strategically to develop partnerships, maximize travel opportunities, steward donors, engage Trustees, execute strategic plans, and generate excitement and philanthropy among donors for the annual fund, capital projects and comprehensive campaigns.
Mary Kate Barnes, Lawrenceville School
Peter Curran, Blair Academy
Craig Hall, Blair Academy
Quentin McDowell, Mercersburg Academy
As centers of rich traditions and exemplary facilities and programs, boarding schools naturally offer opportunities for students and families to build affinity with the school. However, the increasingly competitive landscape means a strong value proposition and creative stewardship strategies are more important than ever to secure philanthropic support. Three heads of school will explore how to make a compelling case for your institution’s unique value and foster a culture of philanthropy among families and alumni.
Peter Becker, The Frederick Gunn School
Lise Charlier, The Cambridge School of Weston
Laura Danforth, The Masters School
Frederic J. “Rick” Happy, CCS Fundraising
Dan Griffiths, Stevenson School
In recent years, the most forward-thinking schools have turned their eye to expanding diversity amongst the faculty to provide mirrors for the student body. However, without solid retention efforts, a school may experience the “leaky bucket effect” and need to attract exponentially more faculty of color just to maintain their current levels. This workshop will cover several strategies and tools your institution can use to increase retention amongst BIPOC faculty.
Claudia McGuigan, The Hotchkiss School
For too long, schools have under-considered the significant impact that the physical organization of space has on the way that we can develop and enhance all aspects of community life. Research pertaining to educational architectural design and the built environment will be offered to provide school leaders with a better toolkit for understanding the ways in which the landscape of our campuses, particularly gathering spaces, directly drives climate and outcomes related to belonging within our schools. We will explore the compelling case that being more strategic about the small details of our facilities and big picture of our campus architecture can improve messaging to communities, behaviors within community spaces, and contribute to positive outcomes related to the school environment and stakeholder wellbeing. Key tools and takeaways that leadership teams can readily apply to their campuses will also be provided.
Alex Curtis, Choate Rosemary Hall
Carrie Grimes, Vanderbilt/Peabody College
How can schools lead faculty to self-assess their incorporation of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the classroom from a variety of perspectives including intentional pedagogy, inclusive curriculum, social justice, and classroom climate? Learn how the Kravis Center for Excellence in Teaching and the DEI Center at Loomis Chaffee collaborated to research, design, develop, and administer a DEI audit and how the results informed individual and departmental areas of growth and professional development opportunities moving forward.
Sara Deveaux, Loomis Chaffee
Fiona Mills, Loomis Chaffee
Ashley Augustin, Loomis Chaffee
We believe it is crucial for students to understand where they have come from to be able to hold their identity, navigate connections with their peers and staff, and set a trajectory for their success beyond your institution. In this session we will highlight an exercise developed from an article by Beverly Tatum, participants will engage in sharing about their identity and practicing a creative tool that might help their students too.
Tyler Pau, Kamehameha Schools
Shaela Spencer-Kennedy, Kamehameha Schools
Creating an all-gender housing space is only the first step. What comes next? How do you incorporate an all-gender floor into the rest of your dorm space? George School’s Tom Hoopes and Ginny Waller share their experience creating an all-gender housing floor and more importantly, provide tips on how to integrate an all-gender housing floor within an existing gendered dormitory.
Tom Hoopes, George School
Ginny Waller, George School
The session presents research from other industries along with education on difficulties around recruitment and retention. The presenter will share current strategies being used to address the challenge with time for participants to share in groups.
Brenda Petersen, Western Reserve Academy
The ways we manage facility deferred maintenance has changed over the years; including the evolution of leadership roles and the new responsibilities that come with that growth, expanding software technology, the emergence of facilities-minded professional organizations and the oversight of staffing support to name a few. With collaboration of an educational facilities industry leader, experienced CMMS provider, and a leading peer independent school, learn how the management of deferred maintenance has evolved and how the development of the facility “voice” has changed over the years.
Kevin Folsom, Building Solutions
The session presents research from other industries along with education on difficulties around recruitment and retention. The presenter will share current strategies being used to address the challenge with time for participants to share in groups.
Brenda Petersen, Western Reserve Academy
The ways we manage facility deferred maintenance has changed over the years; including the evolution of leadership roles and the new responsibilities that come with that growth, expanding software technology, the emergence of facilities-minded professional organizations and the oversight of staffing support to name a few. With collaboration of an educational facilities industry leader, experienced CMMS provider, and a leading peer independent school, learn how the management of deferred maintenance has evolved and how the development of the facility ?voice? has changed over the years.
Educating and caring for students at a boarding school can be an enormous liability with all of the safety issues and concerns that can arise on a daily basis. The use of a risks and controls assessment can be an effective tool to highlight the greatest risk areas along with ensuring you have adequate controls in place to reduce risk to a level of acceptable tolerance. While there will always be potential for safety concerns, this preventative approach will help ensure the proper guards and supports are in place to create the safest environment possible on your campus.
Sara Fieman, Kamehameha Schools
Laura Perales, Kamehameha Schools
A panel presentation of a case study of leading professionals in the private school arena. While women have historically dominated the education profession only 26% occupy positions of leadership, including Head of School and President. A multi-pronged effort will be required to overcome barriers to women in leadership. Professional male colleagues will need to join the conversation to help determine what is needed in terms of mentoring and support to then move the needle. A case study of intentional mentoring and career advancement will be presented. Panelists will share their experiences of positioning themselves, self advocacy and professional development necessary to achieve advancement to and success in leadership. Come meet a dynamic group of professionals making strides in the private school industry.
Caralyn Dea, The Frederick Gunn School
Jacqui Yamada, ISM Independent School Management
There are moments in a school’s institutional journey when a commitment to stewardship requires senior leaders and trustees to take on big, systematic institutional questions. Raising these topics can feel intimidating because we know that even starting the discussion can feel scary to members of the community. Addressing these critical questions and coming out stronger is best done through an agile combination of process design, group facilitation, savvy data analysis, and approachable data visualization. As a tangible example, we will use St. Anne’s-Belfield School’s discernment process weighing whether to continue their boarding program. The session will then trace how the school leveraged this process to accelerate progress once the decision had been made to reinvest in the residential life program and examine its impact on the holistic strategic priorities of the Preschool – Grade 12 community.
Ari Betof, Mission & Data
Autumn Graves, St. Anne’s-Belfield School
Many schools have adopted practices to ensure their employees understand behavioral expectations regarding student safety including criminal background checks, codes of conduct, handbook policies and training programs. But what about the nonemployee spouses and partners of your faculty and employees? Most of those programs are not applied to them. This session will provide practical guidance on ensuring that all members of your school community understand expectations regarding healthy interactions with students and mandatory reporting obligations.
Chris Day, Cardigan Mountain School
Linda Johnson, McLane Middleton Professional Association
A confluence of factors today is creating a tipping point for the teaching profession: The number of teachers leaving their jobs is increasing, the number of college students pursuing teaching continues to decrease; and burnout continues to be significant for educators after the pandemic. Generational trends and new priorities suggest rethinking the traditional “triple threat model” for independent schools, expanding this to consider a new model that supports faculty thriving and student engagement. This presentation will consider the possibilities for moving forward.
Jeffrey Domina, Phillips Andover Academy
Greg Martin, Vermont Academy
Michael Spencer, St. Paul’s School
The relationship between Heads of School and Chief Advancement Officers are critical, not only for the financial sustainability of schools, but also for building relationships with a wide range of constituents. We invite you to come and hear from two heads and two advancement leaders about the importance of collaborating strategically to develop partnerships, maximize travel opportunities, steward donors, engage Trustees, execute strategic plans, and generate excitement and philanthropy among donors for the annual fund, capital projects and comprehensive campaigns.
Mary Kate Barnes, Lawrenceville School
Peter Curran, Blair Academy
Craig Hall, Blair Academy
Quentin McDowell, Mercersburg Academy
Westover School utilizes an integrated model for health and wellness to support our students. The Director of Health and Director of Counseling & Student Wellness have created various protocols that foster whole-person wellness. Some of these include how we approach differential diagnosis, co-facilitating interventions, multiple methods for formal communication, and our approach to absences or formal medical leaves. We will outline these methods and invite questions so others can replicate this at their schools!
Victoria Bosse, Westover School
Jen Hill, Westover School
Males are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at four times the rate of females. The symptoms of ASD in females present challenges in a boarding setting where community expectations often center on pro-social behaviors, strong executive functioning skills, and the ability to adapt to new routines. In this session we will share strategies for working with neurodivergent students and crowdsource data on how schools are adapting to their needs.
Caroline Hedde, George School
Eric Wolarsky, George School
This workshop will provide simple, practical ways that classroom teachers can begin to incorporate Emotional Intelligence into their courses and collaborate with other professionals at their schools to begin to raise the Emotional Intelligence of their overall school culture. The workshop will be led by a classroom teacher, a school psychologist, and the director of our school’s health and wellness program. Participants will have the opportunity to practice some of these strategies and will leave with some simple tools they can begin implementing immediately in their classrooms and beyond.
John Gregory, Asheville School
Mary Elizabeth Martin, Asheville School
Scott Miller, Asheville School
In this workshop, you will hear about one school’s model to assess, educate and provide support to students struggling with drug and alcohol use. The program’s non-disciplinary nature is designed in parallel with the harm reduction approach to treating adolescent substance use and misuse. Its goal and intent is multifaceted, encouraging students to reach out for help for one self and others, receive counseling and health education support, and gain refusal skills amongst peers. It also aims to provide treatment interventions that attend to root causes of substance use, such as underlying mental health conditions and other maladaptive behaviors.
Szu-Hui Lee, Phillips Exeter Academy
Marco Thompson, Phillips Exeter Academy
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated already declining youth mental health with disproportionate impact on LGBTQ+ and BIPOC youth. “School connectedness” and access to supportive resources and adults serve as a protective barrier for youth, but at boarding schools, the stakes seem higher than ever amidst institutional reckoning with histories of harm. This workshop is an inquiry into the personal day model at The Thacher School, including key findings related to identity and student well being.
Kendrea Hart, The Thacher School
Sepideah Mohsenian-Rahman, The Thacher School
Neurodivergent students are entering boarding schools in increasing numbers. Students who are “twice exceptional”. Students who have academic disabilities, performance deficits, and social-emotional challenges. Many have undergone psychoeducational assessments and the summary reports are replete with classroom recommendations. Although psychoeducational assessments are an evidence-based practice, there is scant research on how to best communicate assessment findings to teachers and ensure that they produce positive outcomes for neurodiverse students. Thus, the objective of this interactive presentation is to use a targeted multi-tier approach to translate assessment results and recommendations into teacher-friendly classroom interventions. Best-practice interventions that work in real time and are effective will be provided.
Julie Badynee, Western Reserve Academy
David Chiarella, Western Reserve Academy
Students’ healthy adjustment to separation from home involves preventing homesickness, partnering with parents, and promoting social connection. Nearly all boarding students miss something about home; fortunately, a smaller percentage experience intense homesickness associated with clinically significant symptoms of anxiety and depression. For those students, their performance suffers along with their mental health and can eventually result in medical leave or withdrawal. Learn how to prevent and treat extreme homesickness with innovative, inexpensive, research-based supports.
Chris Thurber, Phillips Exeter Academy
Building a strategic marketing plan for your boarding school is a critical component of your school’s enrollment marketing strategy. A well thought out marketing plan should incorporate strategies, tactics, and detailed calendar and budget to support your enrollment marketing efforts.
Donna Balinkie, Kalix Marketing Group
Jonathan Oleisky, Kalix Marketing Group
“Talent wins games, but teamwork wins championships.” Those words ring true for the most successful businesses, organizations, and schools too. In this session we’ll discuss how Baylor School masterfully unlocked the potential within their marketing and admissions teams. We’ll share the ways they worked together, how they embraced the importance of their digital presence, and became a poster child for investing in collaboration- and reveal how your school can too.
Kate Auger-Campbell, Finalsite
Barbara Kennedy, Baylor School
Tracy Tigchelaar, Finalsite
Google is great – but is Bing better? Did you know that 1/3 of private schools’ organic website traffic comes from Microsoft search engines? In the same way that Google Ads allows you to run ads on the Google search network and partner networks, Bing Ads allows you to run ads on both the Bing search network and its partners including Yahoo and AOL — yes, people still use these search engines! We will dive into how to develop and execute an authentic Bing Ads campaign, how it ties in with an overall enrollment marketing campaign, and review the data through a Bing Ads Case Study with Saint Andrew’s School in Boca Raton, FL.
Alexandra Tolischus, Saint Andrew’s School
Angie Ward, Enroll Media Group
Traditional approaches to marketing involve the curation of stories and visuals that support the school’s initiatives and goals rather than reflecting the face of the current student population. As our communities become more diverse, the MarComm approach needs to evolve to meet the needs of the institution while also authentically and organically telling the school story. In this presentation, we hope to share the tenants of the Cate Communications Office, the philosophy we follow that takes a journalistic approach, and the value it adds to the school’s Admissions, Advancement, and DEI efforts. This session is geared toward MarComm professionals but is valuable for any external-facing department of the school, particularly those that collaborate with MarComm.
Avani Shah, Cate School
Aimee Stanchina, Cate School
Boarding school is hard work. Two different generations of boarding school educators share their perspectives on retaining your most experienced and valuable faculty. We will talk about how to support faculty in building equity, finding purpose and balance, and creating the financial security for retirement. We will present strategies to help manage the contradiction of faculty taking care of themselves and taking care of their students by continuing to stay connected and relatable to students.
Christopher Button, Virginia Episcopal School
Nolan LaVoie, Miller School of Albemarle
Creating an all-gender housing space is only the first step. What comes next? How do you incorporate an all-gender floor into the rest of your dorm space? George School’s Tom Hoopes and Ginny Waller share their experience creating an all-gender housing floor and more importantly, provide tips on how to integrate an all-gender housing floor within an existing gendered dormitory.
Tom Hoopes, George School
Ginny Waller, George School
It can happen anytime; allegations of student misconduct such as assault, bullying or hazing. In this interactive session a head of school, dean of students and legal counsel will take you through a hypothetical applying the ten steps to effective crisis response. How you respond to a situation involving the safety and well-being of your students is critical to both those involved as well as to the overall operation and long-term reputation of your school.
Mb Duckett Ireland, Holderness School
Linda Johnson, McLane Middleton
John McVeigh, Holderness School
Over the years, many independent schools have developed robust sexual misconduct policies that include a formal investigative process. Some components of these investigative processes have been developed in response to the heightened protections required in college and university settings and, thus, may not appropriately account for the unique opportunities and challenges of a high school setting — particularly in circumstances when younger students might benefit from an alternative form of resolution. Deerfield Academy Assistant Head of School for Student Life, Amie Creagh, child psychiatrist, Dr. Michael Kaplan, and school counsel, Christopher Brigham, will combine three different perspectives (residential life, student emotional health and well-being, and legal) to discuss alternative, non-disciplinary models that “in certain situations” can be used to empower students, restore relationships, and contribute to a more positive campus culture. The presentation will invite collaborative discussion on the risks/benefits of implementing such alternative models.
Christopher Brigham, Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, P.C.
Amie Creagh, Deerfield Academy
Michael Kaplan, Yale School of Medicine
Phones are a permanent part of life, but what’s the right place for them at boarding schools? They’re convenient, but the individual and community “costs” of convenience are high: fractured attention, lost focus, diminished bandwidth, sexting, insufficient sleep, a diminished sense of community, and decreasing student wellbeing. We will share a novel process for keeping core school values and student needs at the center of our decision-making by involving all stakeholders in the conversation.
Jennifer Cerny, Culver Academies
Justin Pannkuk, Culver Academies
Assistant deans and directors, form deans, house heads, dorm parents, and advisors are managers of students and, at times, colleagues. In this session, we will first introduce five essential skills from the practice of coaching for leaders to use in decision making, navigating group dynamics, challenging conversations, accountability, and boundary setting before opening the floor to creative collaboration to guide attendees on the practical application of these skills in their work with both students and colleagues.
Jacquelin O’Rourke, Outermost Education Services
Students’ healthy adjustment to separation from home involves preventing homesickness, partnering with parents, and promoting social connection. Nearly all boarding students miss something about home; fortunately, a smaller percentage experience intense homesickness associated with clinically significant symptoms of anxiety and depression. For those students, their performance suffers along with their mental health and can eventually result in medical leave or withdrawal. Learn how to prevent and treat extreme homesickness with innovative, inexpensive, research-based supports.
Christopher Thurber, Phillips Exeter Academy
How can you support students & families through their first year of boarding school? Learn about the whole family approach Milton Hershey School uses to provide proactive and interventional support for students and families during the adjustment process. Monthly new student support programs, celebratory cards, texting platform use for families, staff feedback forms, and coaching conversations are a few of the adaptable strategies we will share for supporting and retaining new families.
Jay Garvey, Milton Hershey School
Alyssa Hostetter, Milton Hershey School
Sarah Pearson, Milton Hershey School
