Private schools across Delaware are in the thick of recruiting season, and most of them are holding open houses in the coming weeks.
The programs for those open houses are designed both to entice the students, but also answer any questions they and their families have, so everybody can be sure the match is good.
They are popular for both students and schools: Most students who attend a private school also went to one of its open houses.
Ursuline Academy, which on Sunday is holding its first of two open houses, is preparing to make the day one to remember.
āThey get to see the show,ā said Lisa Clody, director of enrollment management at Ursuline.
āThey get to see everything nice and fancy and everybody is happily handing out information to the attendees.āĀ Ā
In addition, Ursulineās head chef John Maguire is making hundreds of sample-sized dishes for students and families to try.Ā
Dozens of Ursuline staff and students will be in and out of the campus buildings, giving families tours that tie into the packets detailing the schoolās history, extracurricular activities, goals and mission, enrollment demographics, or any other information that can give a prospective family a thorough overview of the school.Ā
Many of the attendees are sixth or seventh grade students whose families want to start the process of looking and selecting a high school way in advance, Clody added.Ā
Students get to see more of what itās like to attend Ursuline and parents can see what kind of person their child will become if they attend a particular school.Ā
āIt’s the students who sell the school,ā Clody said. āThe parents are able to see students, and theyāre poised, they’re articulate, and the parents are able to say, āThat’s who I want my daughter or son to be.āā
In addition to being able to meet teachers and students, Ursuline Admission Specialist Jenna Jackson said itās a great opportunity for prospective students to meet athletic and club coaches, since sports are ingrained in the schoolās culture.Ā
āOur school is like a mini college,ā she said. āIt’s a campus, so they can walk from building to building and they can see stuff out on the green and they can see stuff in the Student Life Center and they can have access to coaches they might not have access to on a regular day.ā
Padua Academyās Admissions Director, Shana Rossi, said Padua breaks open house tours into groups of one to three families, who are matched by prospective studentsā age, hobbies, subject interests, and other factors.Ā
This helps Padua group like-minded families to create a positive experience, while giving the academy a general overview of the type of students that they are attracting.Ā
The school is asking families to make a significant investment, Rossi said.
āWe need to show them the return on that investment,ā she said. āSo thatās what we try to do at these open houses. We show them the people and environment that will surround them, and give parents a vision for what their child will look like in two, three years.ā
She added that parents today are more actively invested in their childrenās education than previous generations.
Where a dad in the ā90sĀ might have dropped his daughter off for eight hours and not thought about her again, parents today want to know by the hour what their children are doing in school.Ā
The school follows up open houses with its āPanda for a Dayā program that allows prospective students and parents to sit through four classes in one day to get a feel of the school climate and instruction.
Campus tours are always available to students and families who miss open houses, the organizers said.
Here are some upcoming open houses. Click on the school name to register or to get more information.
Sunday, Oct. 2, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. ā Upper School
Nov. 11, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. ā Lower and Middle Schools
Through Dec. 14, upon individual requestĀ
Nov. 6 at 1 p.m. and Dec. 1 at 9 a.m.
Oct. 18 at 5 p.m.
āShadow Daysā all year upon request
Sunday, Oct. 2 starting at 12:30 p.m.
Oct. 16, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. ā High School
Jan. 30, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ā Elementary School
Jan. 31, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. ā Elementary School
Feb. 2, 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. ā Elementary School
Tuesday, Oct. 4 from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. ā Upper School
Nov. 8, 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. ā Upper School
The Tatnall School, Wilmington
Oct. 20, 8:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. ā Early Childhood & Lower School
Nov. 5, 9:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. ā Lower School
Nov. 5, 10 a.m. to noon ā Middle and Upper School
Nov. 10, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. ā Grades 9 through 12 at Georgetown campus and grades pre-k through 8 at Milton campus.Ā
Oct. 23, noon to 3 p.m.
Nov. 13, 1 p.m.
Raised in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Jarek earned a B.A. in journalism and a B.A. in political science from Temple University in 2021. After running CNNās Michael Smerconishās YouTube channel, Jarek became a reporter for the Bucks County Herald before joining Delaware LIVE News.
Jarek can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at (215) 450-9982. Follow him on Twitter @jarekrutz and on LinkedIn
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