Staff Profiles
|
Frank D. Sachs, Director of College Counseling
e-mail: fsachs@blakeschool.org
|
M.A. in Guidance & Counseling, B.S. in Education with a Social Studies Major, University of Missouri-Columbia.
Mr. Sachs joined The Blake School in 1982, serving as Director of College Counseling since 1995. He is responsible for the overall direction of the Blake College Counseling program.
Throughout his career, Mr. Sachs has been a tireless advocate for students. An active member of the Minnesota Association for College Counseling (MACAC), he has served as Government Relations Chair, Secretary, and President. Mr. Sachs leads the 8,000 member National Association of College Counseling (NACAC) as current Past-President. In the past, he has chaired the Government Relations Committee, which lobbies on behalf of education issues in Congress, and Chairs the Future Trends and Current Issues Committee.
A frequent presenter at local and national conferences, Mr. Sachs published articles include:
|
- A Response: Musings of a Committed Professional, The Journal of College Admission, No. 173, Fall 2001
- The Evolution of Parent Education in the College Counseling Process, The Journal of College Admission, No. 169,Fall 2000
- Looking Beyond the Headlines, The College Board Review, No. 191, Summer 2000
- Give them Wings and Let them Fly, The College Board Review, No. 185, Summer 1998
- The Joys of College Counseling, National Association for College Admission Counseling, Winter 2006
|
During the 2001-2002 academic year, Mr. Sachs won the John B. Muir Editors Award presented to his article The Evolution of Parent Education in the College Counseling Process, and he was awarded the Excellence in Government Relations Award for "commitment and success in the advancement of government relations issues and the goals of the MACAC and NACAC."
Mr. Sachs has served his local public school on the Eastview High School Parent Steering Committee and Site Council, and was a Groves Academy Trustee.
|
Sara Kyle, Associate Director of College Counseling
e-mail: skyle@blakeschool.org
|
B.A. in History, St. Olaf College.
Mrs. Kyle joined the Blake College Counseling Staff in 2001 and assists in implementing the College Counseling Program.
Prior to Blake, Mrs. Kyle spent 17 years in the admission office at St. Olaf College. Beginning as an Admission Counselor, she served as Director of Admission for four years. In addition to working with prospective students and their families, Mrs. Kyle was responsible for managing the day to day operations of the staff and office, program and event planning, and application review. She also assisted in developing and implementing marketing plans.
Mrs. Kyle's formal professional education includes: Management Experience in College Admission, The Admissions Middle Management Institute, The Harvard Admissions Institute, and numerous educators conferences and workshops.
Mrs. Kyle has served the Minnesota Association for College Admission Counseling (MACAC) as President, Secretary, Membership Co-Chair, and committee member of the National College Fair, Professional Development, Finance, and Technology Committees. Keynote speaker for the 2001 College Counseling Institute, she was a workshop presenter at the 2001, 2002, and 2004 National College Fairs and a presenter at the 2005 MACAC Spring Conference. She is also involved in the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) serving as a teller at the 2002 National Conference, Seal of Approval Review Board member, and a 2004 National Conference session presenter.
In addition, Mrs. Kyle is a proud Blake parent.
|
Laura McConkey, Associate Director of College Counseling
e-mail: lmcconkey@blakeschool.org
|
B.A. Skidmore College, Sociology and Anthropology Major, Minor in English.
A Blake graduate, class of 1980, and Associate Director of Admission, responsible for Upper School admissions, Mrs. McConkey is also a proud Blake parent!
Beginning her career at Skidmore College, she became Assistant Director of Admission. While at Skidmore, Mrs. McConkey traveled nationally and internationally, interviewed students, reviewed applications, coordinated alumni and student volunteers, and organized several campus programs. Additionally, Mrs. McConkey was active in the New York Association for College Admission Counseling.
Leaving Skidmore she served as the Director of Annual Giving at the Northwestern University Law School. Under her guidance, they raised over one million dollars for the first time ever!
Her extensive experience in higher education continued when she returned to college admission at Hamline University serving as Associate Director of Admissions. In addition to her "normal" admission responsibilities, Mrs. McConkey was responsible for developing admission marketing plans and working with the Hamline faculty in student recruitment efforts.
Mrs. McConkey's last stop before returning to Blake, was to serve as Director of Marketing and Communications at the Perpich Center for Arts Education. In this role, she developed a marketing plan for the Arts High School as well as the Professional Development Institute, and helped oversee the construction of a six million dollar addition.
Mrs. McConkey is also active in the Minnesota Association for College Admission Counseling, serving as Chair of the Minnesota National College Fair committee.
|
Linda Barrows, College Counseling Liaison
e-mail: lbarrows@blakeschool.org
|
M.B.A. in Marketing, B.A. in English.
As Liaison, Mrs. Barrows hosts college recruiters who visit Blake each fall seeking to meet with prospective student applicants from our junior and senior classes. Mrs. Barrows offers a six-hour, summer workshop preparing rising seniors for the college application essay. A member of Minnesota Association for College Admission Counseling (MACAC), Mrs. Barrows represents Blake at meetings of the Midwest-Region and National College Board.
|
Wendy Erickson, Assistant to College Counseling
e-mail: werickson@blakeschool.org
|
Ms. Erickson came to College Counseling in the summer of 2002 from Blake's Business Office where she worked for five years.
Ms Erickson is a critical member of the counseling team, is responsible for coordinating the application process and mailing applications to colleges. She maintains calendars for Mr. Sachs, Mrs. Kyle, Mrs. McConkey and the recruiters, and is a knowledgeable source of information about the college application process.
|
Myra Snyderman, SAT Prep Verbal Instructor
|
M. Ed. in Psychology of Reading, B.S. in Journalism, Temple University.
Mrs. Snyderman is a Pre-K - 12 reading specialist with teaching certification in three states, and has worked in public and private schools at both primary and middle school levels. As classroom teacher and learning diagnostician, Mrs. Snyderman has also instructed at the colleges level with expertise in Reading Diagnostics, Reading Instruction, and corrective Remedial Procedures.
Before joining Blake as an instructor in the College Seminar SAT Verbal Prep course, Mrs. Snyderman was an SAT and ACT instructor at the University School of Milwaukee Summer Programs and had a private tutoring practice.
Mrs. Snyderman also teaches English and Writing skills in the Blake Summer School Programs, and maintains a private practice tutoring high school students.
|
Wendy Engle, SAT Prep Mathematics Instructor
|
|
Mrs. Engel currently teaches the math portion of the SAT prep course at Blake. In addition, she prepares students to take the ACT and SAT Subject Test in mathematics. Mrs. Engel teachers her students how to think mathematically, and consequently they do better work in school.
|
|
