Jane's Pocket Change: Open Houses

This past week marked two important moments in the school calendar: our admissions open house and the kick-off event for our parent annual fund, which Linton and I hosted. I found myself seeing so many different connections between these two occasions.

First, welcoming families to our school: this is always such a key part of what we do, bringing families closer to an understanding of our mission and goals. A large number of families attended the open house and heard from an outstanding student panel (Ian Vogt ’14, Jennifer Lu ‘14, Devon Rosenberg ‘15, Rebecca Cumberbatch ’13 and Sarah Smith ‘13) about their experience. This year I tried something a little different after the panel and asked the visiting students (rather than their parents) to start to the question period. It was fascinating to see what was on their minds - homework, friendships, day-boarding mix, and a big surprise: an inquiry about the circus arts!

Secondly, at the Parent Fund Kick-Off event, I really got the sense that we are bringing families closer to us. As the school year unfolds, we want to ensure that they feel educated about the way our school works financially. Did you know, for example, that tuition only covers 84% of the total cost of each student at CSW, and that we rely on annual giving to supplement our annual operating budget. This is true for the majority of independent schools. Gifts to the annual fund help fill the gaps. I also found myself increasingly interested in the concept of "enrollment" rather than engagement or connection. This is a term that Charles Kiefer and Len Schlesinger use in their excellent book "Just Start" and in their entrepreneurship workshop that I and several colleagues have attended.

As a progressive school continually engaged in the business of change and growth, making efforts to remain current with educational trends while balancing a good liberal arts education, we want not just our students to "enroll" but also our families, faculty and staff: enrollment meaning to choose actively to be involved in our exciting endeavor and to be part of all that we do as we grow and prosper.

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Pocket Change is a web diary written by Jane Moulding, head of school.