our report card
School’s out, summer’s begun, and report cards are in the mail. The faculty received theirs too, delivered by Amanda Surgner at the final “all-school” meeting in her always sincere, eloquent, and concise fashion that left everyone feeling really good.
As our director of admission stepped to the podium the day before graduation, my colleagues and I, eager to move on with our day, were a rapt audience. We’ve learned that when Amanda speaks – usually without notes, by the way – it’s best to listen because she always has something to say. She made four main points that afternoon about the state of Collegiate. She began, appropriately enough, with kindergarten.
“It’s Collegiate’s bread and butter in terms of new children and new families,” she explained. “Sizing up 5-year-olds isn’t a perfect science, and we don’t have the perfect formula. Nobody else does either. The most important ingredient in the process is common sense and being holistic in our approach.”
Twenty percent of the incoming class of 115 are children of color.
“We’ve tried very hard,” she continued, “to look out for our own families and alums while at the same time being true to our school strategies around diversity. “We also want to be the place of choice for families who have no prior experience with Collegiate or with independent schools or may be new to Richmond.”
Amanda then touched briefly on the Middle School where a “bubble class” of rising fifth graders has limited admissions opportunities at that traditional entry point.
Her next stop was the freshman class where the demand for spots was high, an interesting phenomenon considering the strong offerings provided by other independent schools in the area as well as specialty programs in the city and county. Nevertheless, a dozen new ninth graders from a variety of backgrounds will enroll in August.
“The best and the brightest were looking at Collegiate,” she told us, “but we had to work very hard to show them our advantages. “The twelve who are coming will bring so much energy and talent to our community.”
Her fourth point was our attrition rate, which is pleasingly quite low. Only 25 students, other than the 127 June graduates, are leaving, and 16 of those are moving with their families from Richmond.
Very often, I mentioned to her several days after her presentation, your office is the initial contact with families interested in our school. You field the questions. You hear the concerns. You speak to our total program and explain to parents why their investmentis worthwhile.
What’s working that makes people want to send their children here?
“There’s not any one thing that makes all this happen,” Amanda said. “It’s a complicated dynamic. “Quality academics, arts, athletics, and impressive college placements are a given. The most compelling things, however, are less tangible. Human relationships with teachers, coaches, and mentors are the key.
“Word has it that our families are very satisfied and grateful for their children’s experiences at Collegiate, and this, in turn, has created a contagious demand for admission. Our strategic commitment to character development, service learning, and global exploration are also visible and attractive.
“It is ironic to me...we are a big place with a lot of people, buildings, and land, but the intimate soul of our school, with roots from our past and present, continues to speak loud and clear.”
