Dear Flint Hill School Families,

At the start of the year, we asked all of you to participate in a survey as part of the branding work we are undertaking with Mission Minded. I am delighted to report that a considerable number of families, teachers, staff and alumni participated in the survey, which we deeply appreciate. Thank you! This entire process has been eye-opening and will ultimately have some very positive benefits for the School, as we continue to work on finding the most powerful and impactful ways to describe the significant value of our educational experience. Our objective in this work is to be able to clearly articulate the uniqueness of our great School with a focus on the tangible benefits of a Flint Hill education. While most private schools can tout small class sizes, challenging academic programs, and dedicated teachers, through this work, we are working to claim our unique position among the great schools in this region. All of that is just as true at Flint Hill as it is among our peers, but it’s also part of something much greater.

One of the things I’ve learned during this process is that a brand is more than we often think it is. It’s more than a logo or a set of colors. Our brand is our reputation. It is what people think about us. It is what immediately pops into your head when you hear “Flint Hill,” and it goes beyond what happens inside the walls of our campuses. It’s in our interactions with our neighbors in a grocery store. It’s the way our students behave out in the community. It’s the way we drive with our Flint Hill stickers proudly displayed on our cars. All of those interactions send signals about who we are as a school.

We are also playing for the long game. Yes, we want our students prepared for colleges and universities and for whatever is ahead of them. In fact, alumni who completed the Mission Minded survey self-reported that they exceed their peers in a wide range of areas, including their ability to handle the rigors of college academics and engage with academic faculty and resources. But ultimately, our main goal is for our graduates to be good, strong, ethical, competent and confident people. And always capable of recognizing that their foundation at Flint Hill had an enormous impact on their personal and intellectual growth.

Mission Minded has learned a few things too. They’ve learned that Flint Hill does things that are impressively relevant and meaningful. And while historically it’s been hard to put a finger on our “one thing,” each of the aspects that make up our great School is critical. The firm has been incredibly impressed by what they have heard and learned about us and how proud our families are of the School and the experience their children are having. We are a school that is on the cutting edge and lives out our vision to “Taking meaningful risks. Being yourself. Make a difference.” every day. The clear benefits to our students are that they are intellectually engaged, well rounded and motivated to do their very best.

As we continue to go through this process, we will keep you posted, because we want you to be very much a part of this exciting endeavor. If any of you ever have any questions in particular, please do not hesitate to call on us. We aim to be open, approachable, available and accessible. It is part of what I think draws families to our great School and helps keep them so invested in the experience. And as the admission season now gets underway, please do whatever you can to help us in that process as well. It will be appreciated as we all know the best marketing tool is word-of-mouth.

I look forward to seeing you soon! And I thank you for all your support, encouragement and engagement!

Best wishes to you!

 

Sincerely,

John M. Thomas
Headmaster