Community Brands was proud to be a Platinum sponsor and hosted one of many featured sessions, “Retain to Gain: Planning, Designing, and Executing Your Yearly School Retention Campaign,” at the National Catholic Education Association Convention 2024. We were grateful to be a part of the largest private education association gathering nationwide! It’s a testament to the unwavering dedication and commitment of Catholic school communities that our schools continue to thrive and grow. Together, we explored innovative strategies to serve students in their faith-based educational journeys.
Event Highlights
Featured Sessions
Two of our very own K-12 experts, Becky Haghighi and Crystal Hughes, detailed five strategies Catholic schools and dioceses can use to improve student retention and engagement in their session “Retain to Gain: From analyzing data to identify areas of opportunity to personalized communication tactics, Becky and Crystal demonstrated how boosting student retention leads to long-term stability for schools.
“Student retention in Catholic schools is about more than enrollment numbers—it’s about nurturing students throughout their education journey with faith-based guidance and support. Our session covered key tactics and benefits of focusing on student retention efforts. The audience was engaged and asked great questions, such as how to plan a strategy for smaller schools that compete with larger schools. Not only did we share information, but we also walked away with valuable input from the community that we can apply to our solutions for Catholic schools and dioceses,” shared Crystal.
Other valuable sessions included keynote speaker Steve Angrisano, who opened the convention with “Keeping the Faith While Teaching the Faith.” Josh Packard, John Galvan, and Megan Bissell hosted a general session about “The Power of Listening for Faith Formation in Catholic Education.”
Nautical Night
All aboard! Community Brands hosted an exclusive nautical-inspired event for our VIP members who attended NCEA. The event was moved indoors due to the weather conditions, but attendees still enjoyed a night of food, drinks, and lots of fun. Whether we are sharing laughs over trivia games or learning more about the schools we serve, our team always cherishes the time we spend with our community in person! “It was great to be able to see so many Catholic educators come together for an evening of fun. The trivia game was my highlight, especially when you have a Jeopardy contestant on your team,” shared Becky.
“Sister Carol Cimino and I couldn’t stop talking about the VIP event you and your team invited us to! What big fun! The pictures, trivia, and gifts were all amazing. The food was awesome, and your team’s welcome was lovely,” shared Sister Elaine Englert of the Sisters of St. Joseph.
Stay in Touch
Our team would love to stay in touch! We have a plethora of resources tailored to Catholic schools and dioceses. To build upon our NCEA session, download this short guide with three tips for strengthening student retention.
Thank you to all our attendees at NCEA 2024! Whether you stopped by our booth or attended our VIP event, we are so grateful to get the chance to connect! We also thank our NCEA partners for bringing us together to discuss the latest topics and trends in Catholic schools and dioceses, share knowledge, and advance faith-based education.