Greetings,

This week's Swain Stories is shining its light on a unique marketing initiative highlighting our outstanding faculty, as seen through the lens of Theo Anderson. 

I am pleased to share a special project stemming from ongoing self-evaluation of the essence of The Swain School experience. Over the past several years we have offered various opportunities for the community to express their opinions on why they choose Swain. From parent satisfaction surveys, marketing sessions, strategic planning and individual meetings, parents report our faculty are critical in their decision making process.  Consistently our families report high quality faculty as one of the most important factors in choosing the school. 

Conveying the true essence of The Swain School experience is an ongoing priority for our institution.  The school has continued to evolve our messaging and positioning in the marketplace.  Our goal is to show who we really are and have the courage to do so.

Photography plays an important role in how we represent who we are in the academic land-scape of the Lehigh Valley.  We have had the privilege to work closely with Theo Anderson, an extremely accomplished fine art photographer.  Theo brings a wealth of experience not only as a talented photographer, but also has significant experience leading various institutions in identifying and marketing their true identity.  He brings a deeply introspective approach and challenges you to see what is right in front of you.  Theo is moved by his observations in and out of the classroom.  

Throughout this year Theo has been roaming the halls and photographing the amazing interactions that occur on a daily basis.  He has drawn inspiration from the incredibly talented faculty, staff, students and parents.  None of Theo's photographs are staged.  Nor does he know any particular faculty member or student.  The combination of these factors, in addition to the depth and emotion of photographing in black and white, lends itself to revealing an unbiased approach to these remarkable moments. 

Swain Art of Teaching by Theo Anderson is a celebrtion of our faculty and their truly remarkable dedication and extraordinary moments that occur every day. 

Throughout the first floor of the school you will find 15 black and white photographs depicting some of these extraordinary moments. Please take time to explore the school and enjoy this tribute and celebration of our faculty and students. 

In addition, Theo has created a micro web site.  Episode One has been created and we will be posting more episodes in the future.   A blog associated with this project is also being launched.  Contributions to the blog will be from Theo, faculty, staff, students and parents. 

Finally, we hope you will consider sharing this project with family, friends, colleagues and prospective families.  It is an easy way to help us continue to share The Swain School experience with the community at large.     

In closing I would like to thank Theo for his ongoing dedication and commitment to the school.  He has been extremely generous with his time and talent and has been truly an inspiration to push forward with this project that reflects one of our most important differentials, our faculty and student body.