Powerful Connections
Source/Author: Adrianne Finley Odell, Assistant Head of School
November 05, 2015
Last weekend, I traveled back to my hometown to attend my 30th high school reunion. What a treat it was to see some people from my childhood that I hadn’t seen or communicated with in thirty years! About 65 of the 370 students who graduated with me were at the reunion - not bad I guess - but there were a lot of people I didn’t know while in high school and certainly didn’t recognize 30 years later.
As I watch the students at Shorecrest build their friendships on our campus, I am thrilled that they have opportunities that I did not. The small classes, the close relationships with teachers, and the incredible opportunities to participate in so many different types of activities, along with the resources available to them are among the hallmarks of a Shorecrest experience. The strength of relationships that are possible by being a student at a PK-12th grade school can be transformational for our students, and it is our goal that our alumni stay connected long after graduating from Shorecrest. We hope they will use their network to support them as they grow personally and professionally.
As I watch the students at Shorecrest build their friendships on our campus, I am thrilled that they have opportunities that I did not. The small classes, the close relationships with teachers, and the incredible opportunities to participate in so many different types of activities, along with the resources available to them are among the hallmarks of a Shorecrest experience. The strength of relationships that are possible by being a student at a PK-12th grade school can be transformational for our students, and it is our goal that our alumni stay connected long after graduating from Shorecrest. We hope they will use their network to support them as they grow personally and professionally.
Each fall, one of our long-tenured high school faculty members, Ron Heller, travels to Boston and New York to meet with alumni. He calls these meetups Alumnipalooza. Mr. Heller stays in touch with many alumni who look forward to Alumnipalooza each year. “I am blessed with the opportunity to see alumni and see how they are doing after they have 'crossed the stage',” says Mr. Heller. “It's so nice to see the alumnus who may have struggled while at the 'Crest land on his feet and blossom in a career one would never have expected him to pursue. While conversations are nostalgic to "Remember the time...?" or "what does the campus look like now?", the undercurrent that is expressed is that their years at Shorecrest are among some of their best memories.”
Mr. Heller also introduces many alumni to a novel approach to networking with each other. Last year, the alumni office launched a new app called Evertrue to help support the ongoing connection and networking among our alumni. When the app is launched, a map appears showing the location the user is in and fellow alumni who are nearby. When you touch the pin for each alumnus, a profile comes up so they can be contacted by phone or email.
The app also has a feature for alumni to filter the directory. This allows users to find Shorecrest alumni who went to a university they are considering, living in a town that they might be relocating to, or working in an industry that they are trying to break into. It puts the power of networking right into the hands of each of our alumni!
The app also has a feature for alumni to filter the directory. This allows users to find Shorecrest alumni who went to a university they are considering, living in a town that they might be relocating to, or working in an industry that they are trying to break into. It puts the power of networking right into the hands of each of our alumni!
Once a Charger, always a Charger... and it is our goal to support our alumni so they may benefit from the great network of Chargers. These relationships may go back as early as their kindergarten experience, or they may find opportunities to connect with someone who graduated ten or twenty years earlier. A diploma from Shorecrest acts as a passport to the world for our alumni as they benefit from this network opportunity. And they won’t have to wait 30 years to re-connect with a long-lost friend as I did!
