The Position
Mission Statement The mission of New Canaan Country School is to guide students to reach their intellectual, creative, moral, and physical potential. We value the imagination and curiosity of children and respect childhood as an integral part of life. Our teachers set high academic standards and challenge students to question, to think, to collaborate, and to act with integrity. The school works in partnership with families to teach personal, social, and environmental responsibility and to create a community that honors diversity and our common humanity. New Canaan Country School inspires students to be lifelong learners with the courage and confidence to make a positive contribution to the world.
Inclusion Mission Statement Our students will live in a world more diverse and interdependent than that of any previous generation. At New Canaan Country School, we believe that helping students to understand and attain their intellectual, creative, moral and physical potential means, among other things, preparing them for responsible citizenship in such a world. The school is committed to the development of compassionate people who value and respect our common humanity. We believe that an inclusive school community invites greater academic and personal success and strengthens a sense of belonging. We strive to create an environment where each member feels comfortable and accepted and where differences and commonalities are appreciated in equal measure. The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates
For nearly 100 years, New Canaan Country School has embraced—enthusiastically and joyfully— the concept of childhood. The school collectively believes that the “key 12 years,” three through 15, provide the essential foundation each child needs for academic, creative, moral, and physical development. At Country School, the faculty have carefully designed a program that elicits the unique, personal strengths of each child, helping him or her to progress naturally and confidently from day-to-day and year-to-year, equipping the student with the skills necessary to secure success at Country School, and in high school, college, and beyond. This is a very exciting time in Country School’s history, as it is celebrating its centennial in 2016. At this time, the school is seeking a new Director of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid to oversee a staff of three and ensure that Country School continues to find and attract families with children who are compelling, talented, and diverse S/he will be a proven, committed leader who is enthusiastic about the prospect of joining this special community. Further, s/he will possess an entrepreneurial spirit when partnering with colleagues and constituents to develop innovative ways of attracting families to campus.
School History New Canaan Country School was founded as the Community School nearly a century ago, in 1916. During its early years, the school was administered by a small Board of Trustees assisted by committees of teachers and parents. That legacy of parent support and involvement has been a hallmark of the Country School experience and one of the most integral factors in its success. In the 1920s and 1930s, the school occupied several locations on Park Street in downtown New Canaan. In 1936, with the goal of increasing enrollment and attracting a more diverse student body, the school purchased 150 acres, incorporated, and changed its name to New Canaan Country School. Over the next several decades, the school developed a
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highly competitive athletic program as it continued to enhance its strong academic offerings. In the 1980s, Country School was honored as one of President George Bush’s “Points of Light” for its community outreach efforts. In 1994, it was recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a National Exemplary Blue Ribbon School for Excellence in Education. In the past 15 years, Country School has made significant facilities and environmental enhancements, including the construction of a new Early Childhood Center and a renovated Upper School, which became the first LEED-certified building on campus.
Fast Facts 620 students 6:1 student/teacher ratio Students receiving financial aid: 24% Financial aid awarded 2015-16: $3.54 million • Students of color: 21% • Faculty with advanced degrees: 69% • Endowment: $39 million • • • •
Throughout the past century, New Canaan Country School has always emphasized and maintained the quintessential value of childhood. Through a program that blends experiential learning, a focus on the whole child, and intentional involvement of parents, Country School has produced graduates who are successful in high school, in college, and beyond.
The School A strong academic program is only the beginning of the Country School experience. Teachers challenge students, setting high expectations and encouraging them to put their knowledge into action. Students come to understand that education is about more than gaining knowledge and producing answers; it’s about valuing the explorative process and asking pertinent, curiosity-inducing questions. This approach to instruction requires exemplary teachers who deeply understand the students they teach. Teachers follow a four-step instructional process of introduction, practice, mastery, and application. Across grade levels, courses are integrated and interdisciplinary, and math, science, literature, world culture, languages, creative arts, and athletics weave together to demonstrate real-world issues and problems to students who learn about them. Instruction in character skills are “layered on top and in between,” and Country School students learn the values of teamwork and time management throughout their years at the school. Teachers build a strong foundation from the earliest years, allotting ample time for practicing, failure, and ultimate success.
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After Country School Country School graduates have reently matriculated at the following secondary schools: • Berkshire School • Brien McMahon High School • Brien McMahon High School Center for Global Studies • Choate Rosemary Hall • Darien High School • Deerfield Academy • Episcopal High School • Fairfield College Prep School • Greens Farms Academy • Greenwich Academy • Hotchkiss School • King Low Heywood Thomas • Loomis Chaffee School • Middlesex School • Millbrook School • Milton Academy • Miss Porter’s School • New Canaan High School • Phillips Academy Andover • Phillips Exeter Academy • Rye Country Day School • The Salisbury School • St. Andrew’s School • St. Luke’s School • St. Paul’s School • Suffield Academy • The Taft School • The Masters School • Westminster School • Wilton High School
In all divisions, the Country School community values an environment that celebrates differences and commonalities and is intentionally diverse and inclusive. Teachers encourage students to grow into compassionate people who value and respect their common humanity. The school’s service learning program teaches social responsibility in an experiential way, inspiring and empowering students to contribute positively to the world through age-appropriate service opportunities that take place after school or on weekends. Country School develops students who are happy to give back.
Starting with the school’s Early Childhood Program, which views three-, four-, and five-year-olds as competent, capable, and driven by an innate curiosity to make meaning and seek connection, the curriculum provides hands-on experiences and focused lessons that enable students to acquire skills, develop character, and cultivate creativity. These characteristics continue to serve them well throughout their Country School experience— first in the Lower School, and subsequently in the Middle and Upper Schools. In each division, teachers focus on students’ levels of development, assigning them autonomy and independence when appropriate, artfully and compassionately stretching them past their comfort zones. By the time students reach the Upper School, they build on the foundational passion for learning that has defined their experience at each grade. Students at this level are ready to take on intensive critical thinking, analysis, and preparation for the country’s most selective secondary schools. They practice leadership and collaboration, seizing and creating opportunities for themselves as they study language arts, math, science, history, foreign languages, and the arts.
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Physical Campus Country School’s sprawling 75-acre campus is an ideal place to learn and grow. The campus includes 35 acres of woodlands as well as state-of-the-art learning facilities including five art studios, five athletic fields, two gymnasiums, two libraries, four playgrounds, six science labs, a 450-seat auditorium, one LEED-certified Upper School building, one instrumental studio, and two maker labs.
New Canaan, Connecticut One of the most affluent communities in the nation, New Canaan is a comfortable and convenient place to raise a family. Located just 50 miles from New York City, New Canaan offers the charms of small-town New England living as well as the attractions and conveniences of the city. The town includes two Metro-North rail stations, offering easy access to Manhattan within one hour. In the mid-20th century, a group of students and teachers from the Harvard Graduate School of Design constructed unique modern-style homes in town, leading to New Canaan’s becoming celebrated as an epicenter of the modern design movement. The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates
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New Canaan offers frequent opportunities to engage with neighbors, at the annual Nature Center Fall Fair, the Halloween Parade, the Holiday Stroll, and the Family Fourth Fireworks, among other activities.
Opportunities and Challenges The next Director of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid will report to Head of School Rob Macrae, who is in his second year at New Canaan Country School after serving 11 years as Head of School at Cincinnati Country Day School. The task before the successful candidate will include considerable strategic thought about enrollment at Country School. Much of the strategy will surround the sizing and entry points of students to the school, individual strategies for specific towns, and a better articulation of the school’s distinction within the marketplace that includes other strong K-9 independent schools as well as K-12 and 6-12 independent schools, not to mention area public school systems of estimable quality. As well, as demographics shift, there will need to be a long look at the sustainability of enrollment in the Early Childhood years. These tasks will require a metrics-driven person who can analyze data, segment markets, and target opportunities for Country School to attract new families and increase its applicant pool. Another key priority for the new Director will be to forge close working ties with the Director of Advancement and the Director of Communications and continue to devise a common set of core messages that distinguishes the School in a compelling manner. Additionally, these collaborators will need to discover fresh ways to fully leverage the relationships with prospective families that exist among the current parents, past parents, and alumni of the school, including the utilization of social media to build familiarity and induce engagement. To that end, the new Director must be able to generate “buzz” for Country School by energizing current parents and alumni to more effectively market the school through word-of-mouth. The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates
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Attracting and increasing diversity within the student body represents a key value at NCCS and provides a great opportunity to enroll new students in the upper school years. Technology in the department is everchanging, and the school will be migrating to a new admissions software in the coming year en route to a paperless world, including the re-enrollment process. The successful candidate will be passionate about education and can convey to families the spirit of the school in a joyful and intimate way. S/he will possess a strong work ethic and be a good teammate, both visible and a perceived leader among faculty, administrators, and current and prospective families.
Professional Experience • Seven to 10 years of admission experience, preferably in a K-12 or K-9 independent school setting. • A thorough grounding in all forms of enrollment management, with an emphasis on discovering, evaluating, and enrolling admission-worthy students • A background and understanding of assessment of young children • A significant understanding of financial aid and its administration • Proven ability to cultivate effectively prospective families from diverse backgrounds • Supervisory experience within a moderately-sized operation • Extensive experience working with Board members and Board committees • An admission philosophy and practice that is grounded in metrics-based performance • An interest in and experience with marketing and communications • Schooled in admission “best practices” • Ability to excite and motivate all constituencies in the enrollment process – faculty, current parents, and alumni • A believer in the importance of the foundational years in the education of children
Skills and Personal Qualities • • • • • • • • • • •
Strong, experienced leader Strategic thinker Open and communicative A welcoming and approachable personality Analytical and metrics-oriented Responsive and politically astute A doer, not a delegator Externally oriented A sense of humor A teacher and mentor Excellent writer and public speaker
Compensation The School intends to compensate the right individual at a level that is competitive, compelling, and commensurate with experience. The position may include some form of school-provided housing. There is 100% tuition remission for qualifying children. The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates
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To Apply
Interested candidates should submit the following materials confidentially as separate PDF attachments in one email to John Clark and Bob Fricker of Carney, Sandoe & Associates: • Cover letter addressed to the Search Consultants expressing interest that details reasons for perceived fit; • Current résumé with Education, Experience, and Related Professional Experience including dates; • List of five references with names, phone numbers, and email addresses for each -- references will be contacted only with the candidate’s permission. John Clark | Bob Fricker john.clark@carneysandoe.com | bob.fricker@carneysandoe.com Senior Search Consultants Carney, Sandoe & Associates 44 Bromfield Street, Boston, MA 02138 www.carneysandoe.com ~ New Canaan Country School is an Equal Opportunity Employer ~
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