Small Boarding School Association Conference Proposal: March, 2017

Stuart Hall SchoolStaunton, Virginia

Because Staunton is our Campus.

Rated as one of the top small towns in America by Smithsonian magazine,

Staunton, Virginia represents the best kind of living: a community-oriented, but hip,

small town, tucked between the Allegheny and Blue Ridge Mountains. Stuart Hall sits

at this small city’s heart, offering an entirely walking-distance option for the

Small Boarding Schools Association conference. With farm-to-table restaurants, bed and breakfasts, art galleries, boutiques,

wine bars, coffee shops, a local farmer’s market, and Victorian architecture

throughout, what’s not to love? The best part? The primary hotel, The

Stonewall Jackson, and our campus offer bookends to this safe, small town. Within six square blocks, conference participants

can take advantage of the location by walking from one end to the other.

Moreover, our team envisions a conference experience that reflects our School’s

intimate relationship with the town. Our strategic plan for 2016-2017 is to present

“Staunton is our Campus” and will include classroom settings in the city itself.

Why Stuart Hall?

The Blackfriar’s Playhouse, three blocks from Campus

One block from Campus

Two blocks from Campus

Our School, Our City! Our hope as an educational institution is to integrate our curriculum with our region. As of 2016-17, our hope to provide a true college-preparatory experience by hosting Upper School classes in storefronts, to partner with local art studios to host master classes, to provide meal plans that include downtown restaurants which both educate about and support a local economy, and to teach the farm-to-table sustainability model by engaging with local farms which serve our restaurants. We hope to utilize the expertise and opportunities around us to teach our students community engagement, and to rethink the way we deliver curriculum in a small-town setting. Staunton as a city is emblematic of national issues of sustainability, microeconomics, development, and diversity, and our curriculum will ask students and families to grapple with those issues in a real-world, practical context.

For this reason and many others, we present a school like no other. Not only is our location beautiful, fun, and relaxing, but our model is unique. The SBSA 2017 conference in Staunton will ask participants to spend three days in our beautiful mountain town, experiencing life from the Stuart Hall perspective. Extending beyond the modest eight acres of our city-center campus, we will hold sessions in our city-campus locations, all of which are just steps from our main buildings, and many of which are owned and operated by alumni and friends of the School. Participants are invited to walk everywhere, leave cars behind (except for the infirm, for whom we will provide transportation), and have all of their needs met by the amenities offered in the short blocks between campus and the hotel.

Facilities...

Auditorium and Theatre:

Stuart Hall’s auditorium seats 280 comfortably with balcony seating. King Theatre (not pictured) also holds 100 people in a black box theatre setting.

The Commons:

The Davis-Pitt Commons seats up to 400 and can be tented in three locations for overflow dining hall seating, or for special events on the upper terrace.

The Library:

The Library can hold up to 50 comfortably for breakout sessions and other small gatherings.

Classrooms and Technology.

In addition to the Library, 18 classrooms are available for smaller, on-campus breakout sessions. Wifi is available throughout campus and at all hotels. Smart boards and projectors are available anywhere on campus upon request and in all classrooms.

Facilities...

Dining Hall:

The Dining Hall can seat 170 comfortably at one time, and allows for tented or out-door seating on the commons, adjacent to the Dining Hall. Additional seating for lunch can also be furnished in the nearby Student Center for up to 80-100 people.

The Maker Space:

The Staunton Maker Space is a cooperative, creative initiative for artists and designers in Staunton, Va. Stuart Hall will host classes in this walking-distance location in 2016. As part of our city initiative, this space offers us additional breakout space and a chance to see, among others, the kinds of downtown spaces available at the school in partnership with the city itself. Several rooms in this versatile space and studio hold up to 40 people.

The R.R. Smith Center:

The Smith Center is another downtown location in partnership with Stuart Hall. An art gallery and learning center with classrooms and conference space on the second floor, this space offers multiple uses from special events to breakout sessions of 30-60 people.

Transportation and AccessStuart Hall is located in the small town of Staunton, Virginia. Just 2.5 hours from Washington, D. C., 1.5 hours

from Richmond, Virginia, and 45 minutes from Charlottesville, Virginia, both transportation and access to our campus are easy and convenient.

Stuart Hall School

Washington D.C.

(2.5hrs)

Charlottesville

(45 mins)

Richmond

(1.75 hrs)

Where Is Stuart Hall?Located in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, on the East Coast of the United States, Stuart Hall School is situated in a small town in the mountains within driving distance of six major universities.

Our campus is just steps away from restaurants, co!ee shops, shopping, and attractions, but is also close to outdoor adventures, including hiking, skiing, and more. Moreover, our campus gives students a taste of college life through its access to nearby culture and community.

Just 2.5 hours away from Washington, DC, Stuart Hall also o!ers access to the transporta-tion, sophistication, and convenience of our nation's capital, while maintaining the safety and charm of small town life.

Shenandoah Valley Airport (SHD)

Only 30 minutes from campus, United airlines serves the

Shenandoah Valley via Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C. Airpot shuttles furnished by

Stuart Hall will be available for pickup and return trips for

conference participants, negating the need for expensive car rental.

Charlottesville Airport (CHO)

60 minutes from our campus, CHO offers affordable flights from

major airports across the East Coast, with primary routes to and

from New York, Charlotte, NC, Atlanta, GA, Philadelphia, PA,

and Washington, D.C. Shuttles to and from CHO are also available

through Stuart Hall transportation.

Richmond Airport (RIC)

Only 90 minutes from campus, Richmond offers

affordable options with all major car rental agencies.

Washington, D.C. Airports

Both Reagan National and Dulles International Airport are

within 2.5 hours of campus. Both offer all the amenities and options

of a major metropolitan airport.

Amtrak Train Travel

Walking distance to both campus and the Stonewall Jackson

Hotel, the Amtrak train offers a convenient and expedient option

for those on the East Coast.

Shuttle Services

Stuart Hall is prepared to provide shuttles to and from CHO

and SHD for arrivals and departures so guests can avoid car rental. Most guests will stay at the

Stonewall Jackson Hotel and conference center, which is

walking distance to campus. Golf cart and van shuttles will be

provided for those who prefer not to walk to campus.

Stuart Hall will also provide shuttles to and from the other hotels, about 10 minutes away.

Parking is available at all hotels, in two large garages

walking distance to campus, and in a combination of on-campus and street parking outside our

buildings.

Hotels, Inns, and Additional Meeting SpaceThe primary hotel for the March, 2017 conference will be the Stonewall Jackson Hotel (featured in the three images to the left). With a special Stuart Hall rate of just $69-99 per night, lovely facilities with 124 rooms, and just three blocks from campus, this hotel fills our conference needs. Moreover, with conference facilities that accommodate up to 400 people, or groups as small as 20, additional breakout sessions or keynote addresses could, theoretically, be held at this location in addition to Stuart Hall’s own auditorium and theatre. (from top to bottom, left: the Stonewall Jackson Hotel; the lobby and lounge of the Stonewall; a typical guest room at Stonewall; the grand conference room)

Additional hotel options include: Frederick House: Self-described as “a small hotel,” Frederick House (below) is a boutique hotel for the discerning guest. It is walking distance to campus and offers an additional 25 rooms at the heart of town.

The Hampton Inn, Staunton: Owned by a Stuart Hall parent and board member, the Hampton Inn offers spacious rooms and is only ten minutes from campus. Significantly discounted rooms are available.

Best Western, Staunton: A chain hotel featuring clean rooms and only ten minutes from campus

Staunton also features 10 additional Bed and Breakfast options within walking distance to Stuart Hall’s main campus and surrounding locations. As a part of our commitment to the local economy, we will publicize these as conference options and work with proprietors to achieve conference discounts.

Proposed ScheduleWednesday, March 15

Opening Cocktail Reception on the Davis-

Pitt Commons Featuring:

Farm to table cuisine from the Shenandoah Valley

A selection of Virginia craft beers made in Staunton, Virginia wines, and hard

ciders

Thursday, March 16 Friday, March 17• Breakfast at the hotels

(coffee and refreshments throughout)

• Opening Keynote and Welcome Address

• Networking and refreshments

• Breakout sessions

• Lunch served in the dining hall & commons

• Breakout sessions in downtown locations

• Networking and informal chats

• Evening reception at the American Hotel “Boots, BBQ, and Blue Grass”

• Breakfast at the hotels (coffee and refreshments throughout)

• Conference continues

• Lunch served in the dining hall & commons

• Closing speaker at the Stonewall Jackson Conference room

• Conference concludes and shuttles go to SHD and CHO

Proposed Keynote Speaker: Jerry Acuff

Parent of a current 9th grade student, Jerry is a friend and supporter of Stuart Hall.

From Jerry’s website: Jerry Acuff has been consulting and speaking extensively on the issues of sales and marketing excellence for over 20 years. He knows what it is like to be a frustrated sales person starting out in sales (which is how he began). Through the years he has learned the secrets of how to be successful in selling as well as how to help others maximize their sales potential.  In his twenty-year career at Hoechst-Roussel Pharmaceuticals, Jerry was Salesman of the Year twice and District Manager of the Year three times.

Jerry founded Delta Point, Inc. based on his desire to share his knowledge and expertise, building on his experiences in sales that led to his position as Vice President and General Manager of Hoechst-Roussel Pharmaceuticals.

A prolific reader who is always learning, Jerry shares his insights in his three bestselling books: The Relationship Edge, The Relationship Edge in Business and Stop Acting Like a Seller and Start Thinking Like a Buyer.  Business students in 11 colleges and universities use his book The Relationship Edge in Business as part of their marketing curriculum.

Jerry’s skill in communicating how to sell and how to build business relationships has been acknowledged in various media and resources:

• MSNBC• Sales and Marketing Management Magazine• Wall Street Journal Online

He has been to the White House to share his views on health care reform and twice was an Executive in Residence at The Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He is currently on the advisory Board for the Marketing Department at Northern Illinois University and is on the Board of Governors for the Athletic Foundation at the Virginia Military Institute, his alma mater.

Our Team and Support ! At Stuart Hall, Admission, Marketing, Events, and Communication all fall under the guise of “Enrollment Management” under Ann Snyder. Our team is dedicated to the success of the 2017 SBSA conference, and with an experienced team of five individuals representing both events and admission, three of whom have event and planning and operation experience, we are well positioned to provide a top-notch experience for conference attendees. Moreover, Ann Snyder’s experience in the corporate world, Samantha Sipe Hughes’ experience in collegiate admission, and Tanya Farrell’s experience in corporate public relations allow us superior access to individuals outside of the traditional academic setting who can provide insightful and innovative breakout sessions to an industry seeking to adapt to a changing world.

! Mark Eastham, Head of School, is supportive of this endeavor and views the conference as a way to gain exposure to the consultant world, and give back to the world of Boarding Schools, which he has served throughout his career at Episcopal High School, St. Margaret’s School, and Stuart Hall. Mark and the admission team, jointly with the faculty and Student and Parent Ambassadors are prepared to make this an unforgettable experience, providing material support and logistical assistance throughout the program.

! Additional support comes from the President of the Church Schools of the Diocese of Virginia, Dr. David Charlton. A former Head of School and now President of the parent organization for Christchurch, St. Margaret’s, and Stuart Hall School, David knows the value of exposure to consultants and the importance of networking and professional growth. He is, therefore, supportive of this endeavor and looks forward to the exciting opportunities ahead.

! As a team, we want to thank you for the opportunity to present our facilities, initial ideas, and logistical plan to you. It is an honor to be considered and we hope we have provided you with an accurate vision for the many possibilities our location and unique identity will offer to attendees.