Two New Searches for Director of Admissions

Gowan Group is pleased to announce that both Villa Maria School in Stamford, CT and Feynman School in Bethesda, MD have chosen Gowan Group to lead the searches for new Directors of Admissions and Financial Aid.

A new school of five years old and approximately 60 students, Feynman is a small school by design as its mission is focused on teaching students who are designated as gifted learners. A differentiated approach, a caring and supportive environment grounded in the philosophy of Richard Feynman, The Feynman School is poised to become one of the stalwart schools of its kind. The mission of the school states,

"Feynman School is an independent co-educational school for academically gifted children in Bethesda, MD where bright, curious, creative children, surrounded by like minds, can explore their gifts and fulfill their potential."

If you or someone you know may be interested in learning more about this search, please contact Chris Pryor at cpryor@thegowangroup.com. Gowan Group is honored to partner with Feynman School as they continue to establish themselves as one of the more forward thinking learning communities. Visit the Feynman website here, and you can view the position description here Feynman Admissions Director Position Description.

Villa Maria School of Stamford, CT, seeks an experienced and innovative individual to lead and advance the School's Admission operation. The Director has primary responsibility for all aspects of developing, implementing and achieving the goals of a robust recruitment plan. These efforts would include: developing and maintaining a network of referral sources, cultivating parent and alumni volunteers, coordinating applicable communications materials, and, administering the financial aid program.

The new Director will report directly to the Head of School and will work closely with senior administrators, faculty, the Board of Trustees and volunteers to achieve the stated goals. The ideal candidate will have several years of experience in admissions and a track record of innovation and results. Building relationships, communicating effectively and working within the Villa School culture are critical. Salary and benefits will be competitive.

Learn more about Villa Maria School here.

Candidates are requested to send a cover letter, resume, and three letters of recommendation to David Beecher who is leading this search. One can reach him at dbeecher@thegowangroup.com

Feynman Selects Gowan Group

Gowan Group is pleased to announce that Feyman School in Bethesda, MD has chosen Gowan Group to lead their search for a new Director of Admissions and Financial Aid. A new school of five years old and approximately 60 students, Feynman is a small school by design as its mission is focused on teaching students who are designated as gifted learners. A progressive approach, a caring and supportive environment grounded in the philosophy of Richard Feynman, The Feynman School is poised to become one of the stalwart schools of its kind. The mission of the school states, “Feynman School is an independent co-educational school for academically gifted children in Bethesda, MD where bright, curious, creative children, surrounded by like minds, can explore their gifts and fulfill their potential.”

A position description is being prepared and will be available shortly. In the meantime, if you or someone you know may be interested in learning more about the search, please contact Chris Pryor at cpryor@thegowangroup.com. Gowan Group is honored to partner with Feynman School as they continue to establish themselves as one of the more forward thinking learning communities. Learn more about Feynman School here.

Bring Your Mission to Life Through Imagery and Story

Alexandra Tremaine, our Brand Strategist and lead photographer, identifies five key elements to bringing a school’s mission to the front of a successful marketing campaign. Are you being strategic enough in your branding and marketing? Identify your audience.

Identifying your audience goes beyond parents and prospective students. What is your demographic? Are you a day school where the families hail from a close proximity or are you a boarding school looking to bring in international students as well as local ones? Knowing your audience and what they want to see in a school will help, but stay within your vision and your mission.

What is your school’s value proposition?

Why would a family choose your school over the competition? List all the strengths of your school. Performance and visual arts, three seasons of sports, advisor program, dorm life, weekend activities, language studies, all academic programs, AP courses, school trips, etc. Does your school offer a college counseling program or perhaps academic support? List the strengths of your school.

How do you take these values and the school’s mission and visualize it to your audience?

In addition to your list from above, include different areas of the school that should be highlighted in your publications. Does your campus have a landmark feature that looks beautiful during certain seasons or maybe it looks good all seasons? Suffield Academy has beautiful dogwood trees in the front of the main academic building and a landmark bell on top of what is called Bell Hill. This hill faces west and has beautiful sunsets, which overlook all the playing fields, a newer academic building and the new field house. List all the photogenic areas of campus, both interior and exterior. Now, with the list you created of the different values your school offers, plan your shoots.

I am a lifestyle photographer by nature, but there is a certain amount of planning and caressing a scene. Without giving away all of my secrets, I’d say that you should pre-plan some shoots down to models and clothing. Make your colors pop, make sure the kids and faculty look well groomed, and then make them interact. You want photos to look genuine and not staged. Light is key; so if you are shooting outdoor photos, keep this in mind.

Can you create an emotional connection with your audience?

Making it personal sells. Is your school targeted at overachievers who need academic challenge? If so, your images should show challenge and accomplishment, and should place the parent in the position of envisioning their child having similar achievements. Images should reflect the mission and value proposition.

Consistency is key.

Quality of images and design of your overall publication should be the same cover to cover, or on every page of your website. Your publications should be as good as any magazine you read off the stands or on your tablet, and your website needs to draw people to stay on the pages and browse the different tabs.

Contact Alexandra at atremaine@thegowangroup.com to discuss your specific needs, answer a question or to have a brief assessment of how you are currently bringing your mission to life through imagery and story.