Alverno Heights Academy

Hear from Sarah McCarthy, Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management for Alverno Heights Academy, about the substantial changes they made that left a huge impact on their marketing and enrollment.

Q: What was your school’s marketing situation like before you hired Rick Newberry and Enrollment Catalyst?

A: Alverno was at an impasse with enrollment and marketing prior to hiring Rick. The local market had changed a great deal, and our competition was advancing at an impressive rate while we remained stagnant and continuing to use the same marketing methods we always had.

Q: Why did you decide to partner with Rick Newberry?

A: I brought Rick Newberry and Enrollment Catalyst to the attention of the Head of School in 2015, following a disappointing year of applications for the class of 2019. I had actually been researching him over the course of a year, completing some of his webinars and following his blog. Alverno Heights Academy had worked with an enrollment and marketing consultant before, but without a stellar outcome. I was cautiously optimistic about Rick Newberry though, and in the end we did end up hiring him.

Q: What were the results of the partnership? Were you pleased with the school’s decision to work with Rick Newberry and Enrollment Catalyst?

A: Thanks to Rick Newberry’s detailed school visits where he took the time to meet and talk to various parents, students, board members and leaders, he provided us with a number of suggestions on how we could re-invent our school to expand our reach. Two of the biggest things we did was launch a brand new website and make the decision to return to the original name of our school. Returning to our original name, creating a unique logo and tagline, and also adding new merchandise made a huge difference in our school’s image and brand.

Q: What did you like best about working with Rick Newberry?

A: I appreciated that he was down to earth and gave things a personal touch. He was always honest and open with us about issues that needed attention, and assured us it wouldn’t be fixed overnight but that it would take time. He was a wonderful sounding board and we implemented many of his suggestions.

Q: Would you recommend Rick Newberry to others?

A: I would. If you are unsure about your enrollment and marketing efforts, I encourage you to reach out to Rick and learn more about the services he can provide.

Sarah McCarthy, Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management