In September, NCEA President/CEO Lincoln Snyder and NCEA Executive Vice President of Marketing and Business Development Crystal Berry delivered a keynote address to the Catholic educators in the Diocese of Harrisburg during an NCEA regional event. Superintendent Daniel Breen requested a focus on strategies to assist Catholic schools in sharing their stories with a broader audience. Snyder and Berry’s insights from this discussion are shared here.
Stories of heroes, from Odysseus to Iron Man, have defined our storytelling for millennia, with each generation seeking its own role models and inspiration. The American mythologist Joseph Campbell defined a hero as “any male or female who leaves the world of his or her everyday life to undergo a journey to a special world where challenges and fears are overcome to secure a quest, which is then shared with other members of the hero’s community.” The hero’s journey helps us draw meaning from the world around us, and a great example of that journey is the heroism of Catholic school teachers during COVID.
The hero’s journey follows a set number of steps, the first of which is the hero leaving everyday life. For us in Catholic education, we took that step in early March of 2020. In the Diocese of Sacramento, we received word that a public school district had decided to close, and we probably had a week ourselves—which turned out to be the case. Every hero must collect allies along the way, and for us, they were the parents. We closed on a Friday and opened again the following Monday in distance mode, and the parents were behind us. It wasn’t perfect or polished at first, but we made it happen weeks before the public schools did, and the parents were 100 percent behind us.
Our hero then must venture to a special world, and education during COVID was certainly that—first distance learning, then returning to in-person instruction with myriad modifications in place. With masks, desk spacing, hand sanitizer, outdoor instruction our schools were almost a foreign land. From there, the hero must descend into the belly of the whale and undergo a challenge—and at times, that challenge seemed like it was never-ending. The year dragged on, the requirements intensified, and for months a vaccine seemed so far away—but day after day, we kept returning to school.
Campbell posits that the whole point is dying to our old selves so that we can be reborn into something greater. Our greatest Hero did this, of course, when He took all the sins of the world and repaid them with His death, offering us rebirth in Him. The hero’s quest culminates with his or her return to his or her community, bringing with them the knowledge of that which changed them. We change through our trials, and then we have the power to help the world change, too.
So, as you reflect on all your work and accomplishments of the past years, remember—it’s your quest. What was that gift that you brought back to your community? You are called to tell stories to those around you—the story of the saving grace of Jesus Christ, yes, and also your own story.
Lincoln Snyderlincolnsnyder@ncea.org
The human brain loves a good story. In the marketing industry, there are few concepts as broadly accepted as the efficacy of storytelling. And why is that? People gravitate towards stories; our brains are wired to find meaning and resonance within them, and they serve as a structure to house the sea of information that bombards us daily. The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) research (https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2018409118) shows that storytelling raises oxytocin levels, fostering positive emotions, lowers cortisol (a stress hormone) and plays a role in forming social bonds. In turn, storytelling has substantial tactical value in enhancing emotional connections, leading to increased audience engagement and retention rates in marketing.
Each Catholic school has a story—deeply ingrained in its origins that shapes its identity. While dry and clinical data charts convey Catholic schools’ excellence quickly, the narrative guides the way. Within this narrative, your school’s unique story becomes the essence of your brand identity. Consider your school’s “charism,” the defining spirit that sets it apart. I think we have all heard the old adage, “If you have seen one Catholic school, you have seen one Catholic school,” and in my experience, that couldn’t be more true. Each Catholic school provides an exceptional education that far outpaces our public counterparts, but the unique charism and pedagogy set each school apart. That is what you want to tap into when telling your school’s story.
How does storytelling trigger emotions that influence parents to opt for Catholic schools? When my husband and I began contemplating our daughter’s school choice, thoughts of my alma mater, Sacred Heart School, immediately evoked a sense of feeling loved. Each of those teachers told a story that stuck with me through how they cared for me, and I wanted our daughter to experience just what I had. So when I needed an educational institution, I considered nothing other than a Catholic education. And that, folks, is what we call brand trust and commitment.
Harnessing storytelling in marketing doesn’t have to be complicated and certainly isn’t about understanding complex marketing jargon and terminology. It’s about articulating your school’s narrative and remembering that storytelling isn’t confined to printed materials or social media posts—it unfolds daily in your school’s corridors. Just like my teachers at Sacred Heart, the experiences that Catholic school teachers foster in their classrooms every day are the glue that binds the stories that your school tells and converts your students into future parents of Catholic school students.
I encourage each of you to do a few things. One, embrace your school’s story—it’s a narrative hard-earned through your dedication and passion for servant leadership and your commitment to bringing your students closer to God. Second, ask those in your life (parents/grandparents), why they sent you to Catholic school. That is absolute gold for your narrative. Third, and most importantly, share your stories with pride and intent, lighting the way to greatness for your students, one captivating and heroic story at a time.
Crystal Berrycrystal@ncea.org
If you would like to partner with NCEA on a regional event, please reach out to NCEA Director of Professional Learning Laura MacDonald at laura@ncea.org.