A Warm (Wired) Welcome

Going virtual with Trinity’s office of admission in the pandemic year

2020 was the year full of adapting, revising, and adjusting many things that once seemed so easy and routine. The 2020-2021 school year was no different as the pandemic presented many challenges for schools across the country. For the Trinity admission process, this meant families interested in Trinity would not be able to walk the campus. Staple engagement opportunities like “Titan For a Day” and “Titan Night” would be pushed aside until further notice. “Our biggest challenge came from the safety protocols we had to implement to keep our students safe during the school year,” said Director of Admission Margie Vaughan Snead ’85. “Visitors were not permitted on campus when our students were here. This impacted EVERY area of our process.”

LIGHTS, CAMERA, OPEN HOUSE

Well before the fall, the admission and communications departments began brainstorming ways to convert all in-person events to virtual events with a guiding question in mind: How can we give prospective families the feeling of being on campus? “We made sure that each touch point, or virtual event, they were being introduced to different faculty, students, and staff so they had a broad range of experiences to learn about,” said Snead.

With Open House as the first big event in the fall, both departments collaborated on a virtual Open House, with videos from seven current program heads and 15 students, each providing their perspective on programs such as the outdoor program, academics, the arts, competitive athletics, community engagement and the IB Programme. “Our students really rose to the occasion and adapted quickly to our virtual setting,” said Snead. The virtual Open House event was filmed, edited and produced by Trinity’s in-house staff in less than 30 days and was aired via livestream in four sessions during the fall and winter. In a more traditional year, Trinity’s Open House averages about 175 families (approx. 520 people). 2020’s Virtual House attracted about 180 families and held steady at 70 families when featured at later dates.

TOUR DE TRINITY

After a wonderful turnout virtually, the next step was to allow prospective students to “tour” the Trinity campus while not physically being able to walk the grounds. “”Titan For A Day” and “Titan Tours” play a vital component in the admission process,” said Associate Head of Admission Sam Mickens. “Together, Titan Tours and visit days help us share the unique Trinity experience and feeling you feel on campus with our visitors.”

During Titan for a Day, prospective students have the opportunity to be a part of the community for a day. They are able to walk the campus essentially as a student would and join in on different things during the school day like lunch in the Dunn Courtyard and sitting in on a class in the Academic Building.

Authenticity is always at the forefront for the Trinity Admission team, so having to revamp and think of ways to engage virtually could run the risk of it losing its natural feel. “Not having in-person tours and visit days was the most challenging part of going through an admission cycle during covid,” said Mickens. “Much of what we do is based on in-person interaction to give a personal experience to each family in the admission process.” However, with a robust technology platform in place, it allowed the admission team to use the various group meeting platforms such as RingCentral and Zoom. With the help of our experienced student Tour Guides, Marketing and Communications Associate Malcolm Bell immediately went to work on developing a virtual tour to feature the many things Trinity has to offer. “Being able to get an authentic feel of what Trinity was like without stepping foot on campus really moved us as a family,” said Matt Cullather, parent of a new student. “We were very pleased with how Trinity found creative ways to keep prospective families, like us, engaged through the entire process.” The tour was shot from a POV angle which enabled the viewer to feel like they were

“Being able to get an authentic feel of what Trinity was like without stepping foot on campus really moved us as a family.”

— Matt Cullather, new Trinity parent actually present here on campus and being talked to directly by the admission team and Tour Guides. “With great assistance from our students, teachers, and Admission department, we were able to develop a plan and execute it in a timely fashion without sacrificing the quality of the production,” said Bell.

“Our students did a magnificent job of sharing their personal experiences about Trinity with the visiting students,” said Snead. “Everyone involved rose to the occasion and adapted quickly to the virtual setting which allowed Trinity to welcome students into our campus life without actually being on campus.”

PARADE ON PITTAWAY

With acceptance letters starting to roll out in early spring, potential future Titans waited to hear from our Admission department, and the school began to think about ways to welcome newly accepted families to campus while keeping our community safe. Traditionally, two highlight events, Jazz Festival and New Family Reception, would allow students and families to experience a fun spring day on campus. Instead, families were able to drive through campus in their cars during the Student Carpool Parade led by Chip Shelton ’89 and Rob Chaplain ’88 driving the Trinity golf carts. Students, faculty and staff all welcomed the visitors with handmade posters, poms poms, music from the pep band, and lots of cheering. “Our own faculty, staff and students enjoyed the opportunity to be out and about representing our school,” said Snead. “Our accepted students had a chance to be in the middle of our energy without sacrificing safety.”

“In the end, Trinity enjoyed both a strong retention rate from current families and an amazing ratio of first year students accepting offers of admission,” said Snead. Trinity was very excited to welcome all the new students back during Orientation as the 150 new students came to a campus that many had never set foot on before, but it still felt welcoming and familiar. “It was with great assistance from our marketing staff, our faculty, and most certainly our amazing students that we were able to recreate our strong sense of belonging in a virtual environment,” said Snead. Albeit virtually, the Admission team with the help of the entire community, created a unique, personal experience for our visitors while sitting in their homes.