Father Brian Sullivan became the first rector of St. Benedict’s Episcopal church in 2010, a year after the parish had opened a school. For the last five years as the head of school, part of his energy has been focused on spreading the word of the work the Smyrna institution is doing.
“We’re always looking for unique ways to share our story with the community,” he said. “Part of me wanted to get to know more about how our students are doing and to know them better. And I wanted to share why people are coming to St. Benedict’s.”
Those goals came together in “Planting Seeds: Cultivating Critical Thinking, Creativity, Community and Lifelong Learning,” a limited-series podcast Sullivan launched in late August. Through that medium he offers a sneak peek into the school’s world through interviews with parents, alumni, faculty, staff and guests. Recent participants have included a teacher and her husband, and a 2022 alum who is now an athlete and student in Campbell High’s International Baccalaureate program; other guests will include Smyrna’s mayor and Georgia Tech students. Topics range from learning approaches and critical thinking to specific curriculum.
“This also helps us show that our kids are in a school that looks like their community,” said Sullivan. “They’ll grow up in a classroom that looks like that community, and diversity is normal for them.”
One of the insights listeners have learned is that St. Benedict’s 600-plus enrollment of infants through eighth graders is growing. A new middle school is taking shape adjacent to the main campus on Cooper Lake Road where a new building is going up on 4.2 acres. The site will have rooms for STEM, art, music, drama and phys ed.
“That new property will be a great place where kids can do projects, and it allows the rest of school to spread out,” said Sullivan.
Katrina Garnes, the school’s marketing and communication director, said podcasting was the best way to get the word out.
“Right now, that’s the rising form of media,” she said. “We thought it was a good way to share our story and allow people to get to know this budding school. Our goal is to plant seeds of connectiveness.”
Garnes said the podcast has been well received through hundreds of downloads. The series continues with biweekly episodes that can be found on Spotify, Apple and through the school’s website.
“It’s connecting us to the community,” said Sullivan. “And community is our secret sauce.”
Information about St. Benedict’s is online at stbs.org.
SEND US YOUR STORIES. Each week we look at programs, projects and successful endeavors at area schools, from pre-K to grad school. To suggest a story, contact H.M. Cauley at hm_cauley@yahoo.com or 770-744-3042.
