OACS News Service

Ambassadors spread word about school
Friday February 22, 2008 -- Michelle Strutzenberger
Trinity Christian School (TCS) in Burlington recently launched an ambassador program to help spread the word about the school.

Parents have signed up to be ambassadors for the school within their respective churches. They will be sharing information about school activities as well as ensuring church attendees are aware of the school in general and what it has to offer.

“We expect this program will be mutually beneficial as we disseminate information from these churches within our school community,” says principal Vivian Vanderhoek.

The effectiveness of the ambassador program was put to the test just last week with a community event organized by the school’s newly formed enrollment committee.

The committee rented a local theatre and arranged a movie showing of Curious George for $2 a person. The movie was precluded by a promotional video about TCS. Children were encouraged to bring friends who do not attend TCS.

The mandate of the enrollment committee is to help serve the needs of presently enrolled families and increase enrollment by making more people aware of the Christian education the schools offers.

TCS is located in an area that is growing and schools are generally not struggling with enrollment, says Vanderhoek.

In fact, the school recently built a new facility because it could not easily accommodate the families that were expressing interest in enrolling.

While enrollment has fluctuated since TCS moved to the new building, it is currently at a healthy 300 students. “We have entertained a lot of interest from new parents for next year,” says Vanderhoek.

The board has taken an active and proactive stance on enrollment, the principal says, noting board members are “extremely concerned” about the issue.

“They wish to keep the cost of Christian education affordable so that it is available to all Christian families that are interested in becoming part of our Christian school community.”

The board’s activities to maintain and grow a healthy school community have included employing a development director in the past and splitting a large Grade 1 class into two small classes.

Vanderhoek herself takes on the role of introducing interested families to the school by giving tours around the facility.

“The families are given as much time as they need to ask questions and to get a feeling of what our school is like as they see classes in operation,” says Vanderhoek.

She maintains contact with families who have expressed interest in the school and invites them to special events later on.

To help keep costs affordable, the school community recently ran a successful fundraising initiative called The Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign to eliminate the school debt. Tuition-paying parents were asked to give sacrificially and the broader support community was canvassed was well. The school is planning a service in March to celebrate its debt-free status.

For more about TCS, visit www.tcsonline.ca.