The SPARC Effect

Travis Walker
  • 5.0 (4)
  • EDUCATION
  • UPDATED MONTHLY
The SPARC Effect

You know that warm and relaxed feeling you get when sitting around a campfire, trading stories with friends? There’s power in those stories—whether they’re funny, poignant, life-affirming, or surprising—to bring us closer together. They connect us, live within us, change us, and help us grow. We call this The SPARC Effect.   Welcome to our new podcast where we bring the power of storytelling to our own digital campfire. In The SPARC Effect, Travis Walker shares stories from our collaborative members, helping us stay connected as we learn and grow. We’re excited to launch this new venture to help support and unite our community. See you around the campfire!

Episodes

  1. JUL 8

    Planning for Next Summer Now

    Next summer seems so far away when we are still delivering Summer 2024, but we can set ourselves up for success by planning for next year now. Kristi Jacobi joins Travis Walker to share how she is preparing for Summer 2025, including brainstorming new ideas, designing marketing materials, and making program improvements. There's so much we can do now to create a fantastic 2025. Get ready to be SPARC Effected! Head over to sparcnational.com to learn more about Auxiliary Programs.

    35 min

  2. JUN 3

    Getting into the Summer Mindset

    Cindy McArthur, Director of Auxiliary Operations at Greensboro Day School, shares her tips and tricks for getting into the summer mindset as we approach our summer season. How are you showing up for yourself, your staff, your campers and your parents? Join Cindy and host Travis Walker as they discuss this and more in their energetic conversation. To learn more about Auxiliary Programs, visit sparcnational.com

    35 min

  3. MAY 6

    Building Your After School Enrichment Program

    Rebecca Stokes from University School of Nashville joined the SPARC Effect to share how she grew her After School Enrichment Program, which doubled in size in eight years. From faculty recruitment to finding space for classes, Rebecca offered valuable insight into staying flexible and positive to best manage these pivotal programs. Take a seat around the camp fire and soak up the gold that she gave us!Visit sparcnational.com to find more value in Auxiliary Programs!

    36 min

  4. APR 8

    The Magic Behind Marketing Auxiliary Programs

    With Summer 2024 closing in, we are at the peak of marketing season. Aubrey Bursch from Easy School Marketing joined host Travis Walker to share the strategies and theories we should consider as we focus on marketing our programs. How do we reach our target market? What strategies are most effective? Why do we need to consider certain methods over others? This episode takes a deep dive into everything we need to be doing right now! Links: Website: https://www.easyschoolmarketing.comLinke...

    34 min

  5. MAR 4

    Trends and Best Practices for Auxiliary Staff Recruitment

    Krystal Speed, from Your HR Strategist, joined the SPARC Effect to discuss trends in Human Resources. With experience in Auxiliary Programs, Krystal gave great practical insight into focusing on employee well-being, aligning your school's policies and practices with its stated mission, and recognizing the growing force and expectations of Gen Z staff. Learn how we should be approaching recruitment, onboarding, retention, and more. As you prepare for summer, know that you are not alone in your...

    34 min

  6. FEB 5

    Build Your Ideal Camp Culture With Effective Staff Training

    Laura Walker and Bob Rojee join the SPARC Effect to discuss how they prioritize and leverage staff training to create their ideal camp culture. Why is camp culture so important? What are the “musts” that should happen in training? How do you turn high school/college students into competent and confident counselors? Laura and Bob share valuable insight into designing a training experience that shapes camp culture and serves both campers and counselors.For more information about Auxiliary Progr...

    48 min

  7. JAN 8

    Navigating Professional Development & Networking in Auxiliary

    Jana Blackwell, Jim Patterson, and Tejan Walcott join the SPARC Effect to discuss how professional development and networking has impacted on their career success. From local networks, in-person and virtual events, and communities like SPARC, engaging in cooperative networking provides much-needed support, connection, and inspiration in a profession where many of us are working solo. This panel of professionals offers valuable insight into striving for excellence in your career and within you...

    36 min

  8. 12/11/2023

    How Off-Season Experiences Extend Summer Fun

    Travis brought on Katie Peterson from the Breck School and Michael Carmody from Fort Worth Country Day to discuss how they utilize off-season camps to extend summer fun. There are a variety of approaches to off-season camps and they shared the strategy, purpose and fun that these camps can bring. This is a very fun episode with plenty of giggles and gold. Get ready to be SPARC Effected!For more information about Auxiliary Programs, visit SPARCnational.com

    1h 1m

  9. 11/06/2023

    The Head of School's Role in Auxiliary Programs

    David Sullivan, who is a senior advisor with SPARC and former Head of School, came on the show to give us some great insight to the Head of School's role in Auxiliary Programs. Heads have so much to balance, and Auxiliary is an important lever to pay attention to and play an active role in. David gave some great advice and perspective on how that balance happens. Get ready to be SPARC Effected. For more information about Auxiliary Programs, visit SPARCNational.com

    56 min

  10. 10/09/2023

    Creating the Hype for Summer Registration

    Laura Walker of Charlotte Latin School and Katie Peterson of Breck School came on The SPARC Effect to share how they generate excitement for the launch of summer registration. We are seeing more and more throughout the industry the directors are making the launch of registration a big deal and they are seeing a positive impact from it. Travis discussed with Laura and Katie the reasons and strategies to creating the hype successfully. For more information about Auxiliary Programs, visit S...

    59 min

  11. 09/11/2023

    SPARC National Conference: What To Look Forward To

    Travis Walker got to speak with Karen McCann McClelland and Bob Rojee to discuss all of the things we have to look forward to with the SPARC National Conference closing in! The Conference is October 1st-4th and will be at the Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale, Arizona. There is so much value to be had at the conference both in the attendees and programming. For more information about SPARC or the National Conference head over to sparcnational.com

    42 min

  12. 08/18/2023

    The Role of Auxiliary Programs in Independent Schools

    Travis Walker and Nat Saltonstall sit down to discuss Auxiliary Programs and how they are impacting independent schools throughout the country. We discussed what auxiliary programs are, how they benefit schools and how SPARC is assisting schools in their pursuit of those benefits. Check out SPARCnational.com for more information about Auxiliary Programs.

    1h 1m
  • 12 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

You know that warm and relaxed feeling you get when sitting around a campfire, trading stories with friends? There’s power in those stories—whether they’re funny, poignant, life-affirming, or surprising—to bring us closer together. They connect us, live within us, change us, and help us grow. We call this The SPARC Effect.   Welcome to our new podcast where we bring the power of storytelling to our own digital campfire. In The SPARC Effect, Travis Walker shares stories from our collaborative members, helping us stay connected as we learn and grow. We’re excited to launch this new venture to help support and unite our community. See you around the campfire!

Information

  • Creator
    Travis Walker
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2024
  • Episodes
    12
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2024 The SPARC Effect
  • Show Website
    The SPARC Effect

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada