PRESS RELEASE: The Social Institute starts 2018 with double the staff and triple the reach
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Social Institute grows to empower more students nationwide to use social media positively
Partnerships, resources, reach, and staff expand in 2018
Durham, North Carolina — February 23, 2018 — With an upgraded social media curriculum available to schools of all sizes, a growing team of role models, and school partners in multiple cities, The Social Institute is starting 2018 with double the staff and triple the reach. The company, which works with more than 15,000 students in schools across the U.S., is revolutionizing social media education by empowering students and their role models to win the game of social media.
Key elements of the startup’s expansion include:
Upgraded curriculum with premiere partner school
The Social Institute enters the second half of its three-year partnership with Ravenscroft School in Raleigh, North Carolina. Powered by a newly launched social media curriculum that focuses on Seven Social Standards, Ravenscroft’s #WinAtSocial program challenges students, parents, and educators to live up to high standards whenever navigating social media and technology.
“The Social Institute is changing the ways families and schools come together to understand social media,” said Susan Perry, Ravenscroft’s assistant head of school for student affairs. “Their engaging, positive work with our faculty, students and parents has resulted in an important, ongoing dialogue about how we best use social media for respectful outcomes.”
On Friday, March 9, The Social Institute and Ravenscroft will share their wisdom and best-practices as they co-present “The Future of Social Media Education” at the National Association of Independent Schools annual conference in Atlanta.
Accelerating momentum with independent schools
The Social Institute’s roster of forward-thinking partner schools continues to expand. In the last three months, The Social Institute has locked arms with the following schools to win at social media:
- Milton Academy (Boston, MA)
- Saint Mary’s School (Raleigh, NC)
- Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, VA)
- Episcopal Collegiate School (Little Rock, AR)
- Saint Paul’s School and Saint Paul’s School for Girls (Baltimore, MD)
- George School (Philadelphia, PA)
- Cary Academy (Raleigh, NC)
- Saint Timothy’s School (Raleigh, NC)
- Derryfield School (Manchester, NH)
- Heathwood Hall (Columbia, SC)
- Duke Athletics (Durham, NC)
Ravenscroft and Milton Academy are also the first independent schools to provide their parent communities free access to the Social Locker Room, The Social Institute’s digital portal where parents and educators learn how to coach kids to win at social media. Inside are 36 social media Platform Playbooks, 24 Huddles (guides for tough conversations about social media), and 60 positive social media examples on our Wall of Wins.
Compounding national reach and buzz
The Social Institute’s unique positive approach to social media education is generating excitement and has been featured in The Washington Post, Today, USA Today, ABC 11, Today Parenting, Carolina Parent, and WRAL’s Go Ask Mom.
Last month, American philanthropist Melinda Gates tweeted to her 2 million followers that she loved The Social Institute’s unique approach to family social standards: “I love this approach to instilling good technology habits in your kids: instead of setting new rules for them to follow, work with them to create practical standards for everyone in the family—yourself included.”
Expanding team to help more schools
The Social Institute’s entrepreneurial team of digital natives and positive role models has expanded in the last three months. Social Media Coach Sean Kelly joins The Social Institute after working in Admissions at Carlthorp School, an independent school in Santa Monica, California. A role model on and off the court, Sean played for played for the Duke Men’s Basketball team and won the National Championship in 2015. He, like the president and founder of The Social Institute, Laura Tierney, will be working with schools around the country, teaching students, parents, and educators how to navigate social media positively.
Operations Director Shayna Heinrich joined The Social Institute late last year and works closely with The Social Institute’s partner schools to ensure a seamless, successful partnership. Shayna Heinrich, a fellow Duke student-athlete and new mom like Tierney, is passionate about helping kids use social media positively.
“Because of our lean size and work directly with schools, our team continues to test, learn, and optimize fast, making our curriculum the most relevant and impactful for students,” said Tierney.
The Social Institute team has a mission, called 20-in-10. “We strive to empower 20 million middle and high school students nationwide to use social media positively within 10 years. We want to give them the tools and skills that we wish we had growing up, socializing with a phone in our hands,” continued Tierney. “We’re well on our way, and won’t stop until all kids have the tools they need to win at social.”
About The Social Institute
The Social Institute partners with schools nationwide to empower students, families, and educators to positively navigate social-emotional health, social media, and technology. Schools access our student-respected, turnkey curriculum through WinAtSocial.com, an interactive, gamified learning platform. With solutions for students, parents, and educators, we offer a systemic and comprehensive SEL program through a unique and positive approach. We are proud to serve public and independent partners such as Ravenscroft School, Woodward Academy, Oldfields School, All Saints Episcopal School, Lake Forest School District, Boston Public Schools, and more. For more information on how to empower your students to make high-character decisions online and off, please contact us.