Blake Today
From Admissions
Striking the Balance: A Formidable Admissions Challenge
By Adaline Shinkle, Director of Admissions
|
 My relationship with Blake began 25 years ago when I chose the School for my 5-year-old daughter. A few years later, when given the chance, I was thrilled to further my involvement in the Blake community as a member of the Admissions team. Today, after 22 years with the Admissions Office, I find that much has remained constant. Families with generational connections to the School remain strong supporters and are eager to enroll their children. They speak passionately about the opportunities their education has afforded and of the lifelong friendships first nurtured here at Blake. They want the same for their children. Many other parents are, like I was, new to Minnesota but have sought out friends and colleagues who know the academic community in the Twin Cities — and time and again they are directed to Blake. Their exploration allows them to observe and meet Blake's teachers and current families, and they, too, want this experience for their children.
Certainly there have also been changes in the 25 years that I have known the School — in program, in the physical spaces and in the School community itself. Campuses have been renovated to provide space for more students in state-of-the-art facilities at all divisions. Filling these spaces, the student body has grown by more than 250 students (and by 150 in just the last 10 years). Increases in student population have, of course, been accompanied by faculty increases in order to maintain small class sizes, which allow for knowing each child well. And the community is not just larger, it is diverse in many ways that enrich the educational experience for all and truly allows us to better prepare our students to be responsible and successful world citizens.
So what does the Blake community look like today? School opened this fall with 1,368 students (compared to 1,083 just 10 years ago). Across the grades about 50 percent are boys and 50 percent girls. About 17 percent (232 students) are children of alumni — the largest number of legacy students in our records. About two-thirds of the students here have siblings who are current or past students. So clearly families who know us well strive to have their children at Blake. At the same time, many families new to Blake, new to independent schools and often new to the Twin Cities or even to the United States have chosen our School.
In 2007, Blake provides an increasingly diverse community for learning. We value a broad spectrum of diversity and believe that a wide range of perspectives and experiences enhances educational excellence and strengthens a school community, both within the classroom and without.
- Almost 19 percent of Blake students receive need-based financial aid, bringing an important socio-economic diversity to our community and to our conversations. To achieve this, Blake has committed over $3 million in financial aid this year, compared to just under $2 million 10 years ago.
- International families share a perspective of our world often very different from that of native Minnesotans. The current student body is made up of families who routinely speak more than 40 languages other than English in their homes.
- Racial and ethnic diversity also enrich our community. The population of students of color increased by over 100 students, from 134 to 238, in the past 10 years, representing an increase from 11 percent to 18 percent of students.
- And increasingly, religious diversity and diversity of sexual orientation are present in our community and are represented in the variety of perspectives shared in our classrooms.
As curriculum continues to evolve to meet our mission of educating responsible world citizens, so too does our learning community. Having reached what we believe to be optimal school size, our overall enrollment will remain essentially static for the foreseeable future. Our admissions challenge will be to ensure a continuing balance of students with Blake connections and those new to the School to create a community that will best reflect the world in which our children will live and to provide the diverse views and values to prepare our students for future success. As always, we welcome your thoughts and feedback as we rise to meet this challenge.
•Bulletin, February 2007
•Also in Blake Today
•From the Head of School
•From the Board of Trustees
•From Admissions
•Director's Corner
•From Advancement
•Highcroft Community Give Thanks at Celebration of Gratitude
•Profiles in Giving: The Annual Fund
•Honoring Our Past, Preparing For The Future:
The Jack Edie World Citizen Endowment Fund
•Grandparent and Special Friend Day
•Feature: Teaching The Language of Art at Blake
|
|
