The SPARC Effect

Next summer seems so far away when we are still delivering Summer 2024, but we can set ourselves up for success by planning for next year now. Kristi Jacobi joins Travis Walker to share how she is preparing for Summer 2025, including  brainstorming new ideas, designing marketing materials, and making program improvements. There's so much we can do now to create a fantastic 2025. Get ready to be SPARC Effected! 

Head over to sparcnational.com to learn more about Auxiliary Programs. 

Cindy McArthur, Director of Auxiliary Operations at Greensboro Day School, shares her tips and tricks for getting into the summer mindset as we approach our summer season. How are you showing up for yourself, your staff, your campers and your parents? Join Cindy and host Travis Walker as they discuss this and more in their energetic conversation. 

To learn more about Auxiliary Programs, visit sparcnational.com

Rebecca Stokes from University School of Nashville joined the SPARC Effect to share how she grew her After School Enrichment Program, which doubled in size in eight years. From faculty recruitment to finding space for classes, Rebecca offered valuable insight into staying flexible and positive to best manage these pivotal programs. Take a seat around the camp fire and soak up the gold that she gave us!

Visit sparcnational.com to find more value in Auxiliary Programs! 

With Summer 2024 closing in, we are at the peak of marketing season. Aubrey Bursch from Easy School Marketing joined host Travis Walker to share the strategies and theories we should consider as we focus on marketing our programs. How do we reach our target market? What strategies are most effective? Why do we need to consider certain methods over others? This episode takes a deep dive into everything we need to be doing right now!

Links: 

Website: https://www.easyschoolmarketing.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aubreybursch/

Podcast: https://mindfulschoolmarketing.com/

Bio

Aubrey Bursch is passionate about supporting independent schools and summer camps to increase enrollment, retention, and revenue. As the daughter of lifelong educators and the mom of two independent school students, she combines her love for schools with her 20+ years of marketing and development experience to help schools and camps identify and implement high ROI initiatives.

Aubrey co-hosts the Mindful School Marketing podcast, leads free Small School Leaders monthly meet-ups, facilitates the Small School Solutions professional development program, hosts the Small School Leaders Virtual Conference, and speaks nationwide.

Krystal Speed, from Your HR Strategist, joined the SPARC Effect to discuss trends in Human Resources. With experience in Auxiliary Programs, Krystal gave great practical insight into focusing on employee well-being, aligning your school's policies and practices with its stated mission, and recognizing the growing force and expectations of Gen Z staff. Learn how we should be approaching recruitment, onboarding, retention, and more. As you prepare for summer, know that you are not alone in your HR busy season. 

For more information about Auxiliary Programs, visit sparcnational.com

Laura Walker and Bob Rojee join the SPARC Effect to discuss how they prioritize and leverage staff training to create their ideal camp culture. Why is camp culture so important? What are the “musts” that should happen in training? How do you turn high school/college students into competent and confident counselors? Laura and Bob share valuable insight into designing a training experience that shapes camp culture and serves both campers and counselors.

For more information about Auxiliary Programs, visit sparcnational.com

Jana Blackwell, Jim Patterson, and Tejan Walcott join the SPARC Effect to discuss how professional development and networking has impacted on their career success. From local networks, in-person and virtual events, and communities like SPARC, engaging in cooperative networking provides much-needed support, connection, and inspiration in a profession where many of us are working solo. This panel of professionals offers valuable insight into striving for excellence in your career and within yourself. 

For more information about Auxiliary Programs, visit sparcnational.com

Travis brought on Katie Peterson from the Breck School and Michael Carmody from Fort Worth Country Day to discuss how they utilize off-season camps to extend summer fun. There are a variety of approaches to off-season camps and they shared the strategy, purpose and fun that these camps can bring. This is a very fun episode with plenty of giggles and gold. Get ready to be SPARC Effected!

For more information about Auxiliary Programs, visit SPARCnational.com

David Sullivan, who is a senior advisor with SPARC and former Head of School, came on the show to give us some great insight to the Head of School's role in Auxiliary Programs. Heads have so much to balance, and Auxiliary is an important lever to pay attention to and play an active role in. David gave some great advice and perspective on how that balance happens. Get ready to be SPARC Effected. 

For more information about Auxiliary Programs, visit SPARCNational.com

Laura Walker of Charlotte Latin School and Katie Peterson of Breck School came on The SPARC Effect to share how they generate excitement for the launch of summer registration. We are seeing more and more throughout the industry the directors are making the launch of registration a big deal and they are seeing a positive impact from it. Travis discussed with Laura and Katie the reasons and strategies to creating the hype successfully. 

For more information about Auxiliary Programs, visit SPARCNational.com