JC launches YouTube channel
JC has created an official YouTube channel in an attempt to better market the school using new technology.
Director of Communications Sue Cathell created the channel because “I know that the future of websites and marketing is YouTube and Facebook and the social networking sites.”
JC’s new website, launched last month, has the ability to embed videos directly onto the site, as well as integrating social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, according to Cathell.
Through the use of such technological tools, Cathell hopes to “showcase the school. People are very visual now and that’s what they are looking for.”
However, she hopes to “populate” the channel with videos before promoting it.
“This is very much in line with aspects of the strategic plan. The plan calls for exploring new ways to get the message out there,” President Richard O’Hara said.
Cathell added, “Having a John Carroll site where we can publicize student videos is yet another example that we are achieving our mission – our kids are creative [and] we give them the opportunity and they run with it.”
Currently, the channel, created on March 4, has two videos: an overview of the master facilities plan and a general promotion called “Our Promise 2009.”
In addition to the YouTube channel, Cathell has other goals for JC’s new site: “I just want to keep increasing the video component of it and begin the integration with Twitter and increase the number of photos through Flickr.”
JC named best private school in county
“Harford Magazine” has named JC the best private school in the county, with St. Margaret’s School and the Harford Day School as runner ups.
“It’s so unscientific [but] it’s nice. I agree with the judgment that says so,” Principal Paul Barker said.
According the editor of “Harford Magazine” Jennifer Dansicker, the magazine has a distribution of 28,000. Ballots were included in the previous issue, with 300 returned, approximately “a point one percent response, which is a pretty good response,” Dansicker said.
Strategic plan nears release date
The “safest bet” for the release of printed material containing information about the strategic plan is April 1, according to O’Hara. The material is currently undergoing additional editing before sending it to the printer, which will take about a week.
“I am very, very high on the strategic plan. It was a lot of work, but now the tough work begins of committing to implementing it,” O’Hara said.
He added, “The first step is that Mr. Barker and I spending a good bit of time taking the strategic plan and its goals, like who is in charge of each aspect, the timeline, costs, and how we will meet those costs.”
To help with the “measuring and reporting of progress,” the school will “purchase some special software that will allow us to take the plan from the goals and recommendations and put it into an organized format,” O’Hara said.
Kate Froehlich can be reached for comment at [email protected].