Brewsterconnections - Brewster Academy

Palmer Honored for Success inAdmissions FieldBy Marcia EldredgeLynne Palmer, director of admission and external affairs atBrewster, was recently honored for her success in and commitmentto independent school admissions. At the annual meeting of theSecondary School Admission Test and Secondary School Admission TestBoard (SSATB) in Chicago in September, Palmer was presented withthe Bretnall Award. Named for distinguished educator and first SSATBProgram Director William B. Bretnall, the award is given annually to aleader and educator who has made significant contributions to the field ofindependent school admissions.Ed Cooper, head of school at the Wolfeboro Camp School, offered thefollowing remarks in his introduction of Palmer at the SSATB awardspresentation.“Lynne arrived at Brewster in the summer of 1987. Though she has heldmany different roles within the Wolfeboro and Brewster community,she always kept an active foot in the Admission Office. She appreciatesthat the Admission Office is where the connection starts with Brewsterfamilies, and enjoys the opportunity to be a part of that new relationship.“As she starts her 25th year at Brewster, she notes that she is thankfulevery day for the quality of life at Brewster and the great accountability tomake a difference.“During the past 25 years, our recipient has more than made her mark onthe enrollment success and strong reputation of Brewster Academy. Shealso [has] made a continual impact on the health and vitality of privateschool admissions in New Hampshire, New England, and beyond,”Cooper shared.A few forumswhere Lynne hashelped lead thecharge include NewHampshire boardingschool fairs, NewHampshire consultanttours, and NewHampshire receptionsat independenteducational consultantconferences, he noted.“In addition, Lynneand her staff havehosted a myriadof professionaldevelopment eventson the Brewstercampus and she oftenpresents at nationalconferences. And,thankfully, Lynnecontinues to be an effervescent and omnipresent presence in the worldof admissions. I am most confident that few of us, if any, possess greaterdevotion to the admissions profession and to our respective schools thandoes Lynne,” Cooper concluded.“Few admissions directors have our recipient’sprofessional endurance. Beyond the number ofyears however, it is the quality of her leadership,the effectiveness of her professional instincts butmost of all, it is her contagious enthusiasm foradvancing independent schools that merits thisrecognition today.“At Brewster and on every level, Lynne Palmer’senthusiasm for the sophisticated details ofadmissions, her passion for student success, andher zeal for institutional advancement trump thenumbers by a long shot.”Cooper continued, “A high profile proponent of professional developmentefforts, Lynne has continually been a champion of professionalcollaboration; she has often served as a catalyst for independent schoolvisibility – particularly in Northern New England.”“It is the quality of herleadership, the effectivenessof her professional instincts,and her contagiousenthusiasm for advancingindependent schools thatmerits this recognition.”Lynne has forged her success in the admissions fieldwhile she and husband TJ Palmer, a Brewster historyteacher and coach, raised a family of three schoolagedchildren – now all Brewster graduates.“SSATB presenting Lynne with this award could nothave picked a more deserving recipient,” said Dr.Michael E. Cooper, Brewster’s head of school. “Notonly is Lynne dedicated to her work at Brewster,she truly is committed to making sure that whatshe does for the field of admission adds value toa family’s experience no matter where they areapplying. She brings a depth and breadth of experience to admission thatfew can equal.”Mike Cooper and Palmer were at the Chicago meeting to present theworkshop “Systematic Planning: A Necessary Evil or an Imperative forSurvival?”6 BrewsterConnections – Fall 2012