Why I Chose Shorecrest
Source/Author: Mike Murphy, Headmaster
February 02, 2018
The Enrollment Management Association recently surveyed more than 2700 families to discover more about their motivations and mindsets when applying to independent schools. The data tells us that parents are motivated by and expect that independent schools will provide the right educational and social environments for their children. Academic excellence and character development have been, and continue to be, the school choice drivers for most parents.
The primary academic drivers include:
The school provides an education that challenges the child
The school develops and maintains a love of learning in the child
Individual attention
Superior college/university placement
Faculty credentials
Access to academic support
The primary non-academic drivers include:
The development of a strong moral character
Support for social and emotional development
Access to high quality extracurriculars
Availability of financial aid
Diversity
Safety
What do your instincts tell you? From where I sit, Shorecrest focuses on all the areas identified in the Enrollment Management survey, and we are thriving in most, if not all, areas. When I narrow down the options parents have in Pinellas County and Tampa Bay, Shorecrest becomes an obvious choice for families and students seeking high level academics and character development.
In a recent community forum, our trustees explained the financial realities of the operation of our school. We are the most expensive school in our county for important reasons; the quality of teachers, administrators, and staff being the most important. The levels and variety of academic and extracurricular offerings is unmatched by a school our size. People who understand the value of an education that is preparing students not just for college, but for a life of inquiry, learning, and leadership, recognize why some places have preschools and Shorecrest has an Experiential School.
Those same people know that our Reading and Writing Workshop teachers, who are educated by the Columbia University Teachers College, provide a different quality of instruction from those who offer the same-named curriculum, but have not been educated in the use of the program. Informed parents know there is a big difference between the knowledge and advantage a student gains from taking a rigorous Algebra I or Spanish I course, versus the student who takes the class with the same title and cannot successfully move on to Algebra II or Spanish II. Upper School students who are in a program that is challenging them to become responsible learners and independent thinkers realize that they are being provided readiness skills not just for college, but also for the changing work environment they will inherit.
Couple this with the schoolwide focus on the Honor Code and Five Core Values that provide a real-world element of character development in the lives of our students, and you’ve got a school that prepares students for adult life and that is meeting those expectations of parents that seek an independent school education for their children.
Over the course of my career I have worked in independent schools in four states and two countries. If we could pick up Shorecrest and place it in any of the locations, Shorecrest would excel. While we need to compete in the market in which we live, I am well aware that we far surpass the benchmarks set by local competition.
We live in St. Petersburg/Tampa Bay and we love being here. We accept that we are the most expensive school in Pinellas, knowing that we are the best at providing high level academic and character preparation to 3-year-old Alphas thru our 12th grade Seniors. I choose Shorecrest because through our programs and curricula that provide academic excellence and character development to our students, we are working to support students, teachers, and families to Be More.
