Your Best Advertisement
Happy Catholic Schools Week 2008!!
I always used to think that "A satisfied customer" was an organization's best advertisement. In our case, a satisfied parent, because parents talk to parents.
This weekend, I was proven wrong. A satisfied parent is your second-best advertisement.
As Catholic Schools Week opened at our parish (St. Agnes in North Huntingdon, PA) yesterday, a pulpit talk was given by one of our youngsters and her father after communion and meditation. The congregation seemed to expect that the presentation would be made by the father, since the young child started the presentation by saying, "Good morning - My name is Pilar and I'm in the first grade at Queen of Angels School."
That's when the faces of the congregation changed - from an "Isn't she adorable" smile on their faces, to an "Oh my goodness, she's reading this!" look of incredulity. The youngster and her father alternated speaking parts, much like professional speakers (or at least seasoned adults). Their timing was impeccable, as the father stated, "So what makes our school special?" and Pilar responded enthusiastically, "Jesus!" Rather than just saying His name, she continued to explain the benefits of a Catholic school education better than many adults I've encountered. One could have thought, "She's just reading the script," but then members of the assembly realized she's A FIRST GRADER!
We say many things when we market our schools - one of those things is that our children score above the national norms on all standardized tests and subtests. This little child was proof positive of those claims, as her reading level had to be that of a third or fourth grader.
How do I know this was effective? In the pew in front of me were a grandfather, a grandmother, a young toddler coloring in her Winnie the Pooh book, and her mother. After the presentation, amid applause, the grandmother and mother looked at each other and then glanced at the toddler. They looked back at each other and nodded, as if to say, "We need to visit the school with her."
Remember, Scripture tells us, "And a child will lead them."
© Michael V. Ziemski, SchoolAdvancement, 2008 (Original Publication Date: 20080128)
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