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January 2009
Dear SBS Parents,
I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful holiday break with your daughters! We had a quiet but productive couple of weeks here at the school and are happy to have everyone back this week. I would like to take this opportunity to make you aware of a transition in the college counseling office at Stoneleigh-Burnham. As you may know, Ms. Lauren Cunniffe has been working with Mrs. Andrea Patt this fall as she has helped seniors through the college application process. Their work together has been in preparation for Lauren to take over as Director of College Counseling next fall. I have asked Andy to work into a full-time position as Director of International Programs, a part-time role she has held for a long time but one that we would like to honor more fully. Andy is excited about leading an all-school initiative that focuses on how we will become a more intentional global community and share more fully the various cultures represented in our student body. From now until the end of the year, Andy will be finishing up her work with the seniors, gearing up for this full-time focus, and supporting Lauren in her transition to the role of college counselor.
This change has been in the works since last spring, and Lauren has been working copiously to prepare for it. To date, she has shadowed meetings between Andy and several seniors as well as with the junior class; she has also visited approximately twenty-five colleges. Lauren has signed up for a biking trip for college counselors to visit 25 more colleges this summer. Since last year Lauren has attended the College Counseling Workshop at the Taft School and a MEFA financial aid workshop, and she has interviewed/visited with other college counselors at similar schools. Perhaps most salient to her preparation is the fact that Lauren herself is the mother of Chloe Reid, one of our seniors this year. Lauren knows first hand what parents and students experience as they go through the college process! Lauren has also encouraged the school to purchase and integrate Naviance (see www.naviance.com), a program that allows school personnel, students, and parents to access and manage important college application information online, as well as share their thoughts with one another along the way. Parents of juniors will be invited to meet with Lauren during Spring Family Weekend to become acquainted with her and learn more about Naviance. In the meantime, Lauren will be meeting with each junior before spring break in order to propose a preliminary list of colleges to consider. Before sending you these ideas, Lauren will also consult with Andy about any additional thoughts she may have.
As we look to next fall, Lauren will also become Junior Class Dean so those of you with 9th and 10th grade daughters may want to introduce yourselves to Lauren this spring. We have created a new College Counseling office which allows more room for college reps to visit with students. It is in the corridor nearest to the Red Room (where Natalie Demers was last year), and you will likely find Lauren there.
Please feel free to contact me, Lauren or Andy if you have any concerns or questions. We three are very excited and believe that the school is well served by the changes at hand.
Happy New Year to you all!
Sally L. Mixsell
Head of School