Introducing … Sally Wenham

Meet a Member …

Each eNews, we would like to introduce you to one of our wonderful Chapter Members, through a Question & Answer type interview article.

Therefore, in the hotseat this edition, is Sally Wenham: Marketing, Communication and Events Co-ordinator at Palmerston North Boys’ High School. Sally was also the recipient of the Newcomer Scholarship, awarded at the recent NEXUS Summit in Christchurch.

1. Length of time in Educational Advancement (& prior industry if applicable)

I have been in my Marketing, Communication and Events Co-ordinator role at Palmerston North Boys’ High School for 3 years now. I came to PNBHS straight out of finishing my Business Management University degree at Massey. I always had an interest in Design and Photography right through school, and as I progressed through University, my love for social media developed and I fell into this role.

2. Achievement / Accomplishment most proud of?

The achievement I am most proud of is growing the PNBHS Social Media channels. Social Media has taken off to another level and over the past 3 years, while I have been at PNBHS, it has been a massive change to a lot of people and businesses. We post multiple times daily, sharing everything that goes on at PNBHS from sport teams, daily school life activities over the day, photos in classes etc. Not only parents and students but people all over the world follow our Facebook and Instagram pages. Our Instagram reach this year alone has gone up 58% compared to last year. This shows that Social Media is forever growing and not set to stop anytime soon. There is data showing that Instagram user count is expected to grow by 17.2% in the next four years, with Tiktok and Facebook forecast to grow 17% and 14%.

As a school this means we have to develop and grow alongside the changes that happen in the Social Media world and as a platform to over 34,000 Facebook followers and 5000 Instagram followers, we have to maintain our reputation and keep posting like we do to keep the interaction high. I believe that it is the frequent posting that has made one of the biggest impacts in growing our platforms to where we are today. The higher the interaction between us and our audience, the more we develop and grow as a platform and school.

3. Greatest moment of learning / overcoming of challenge?

My greatest moment of learning and overcoming of a challenge would be in my first year at PNBHS, when my role did not include the Palmerstonian (Yearbook). But half-way through the year, my colleague departed and left me with the Palmerstonian job that I had never done before, and for which I lacked any prior experience in. I only had around a week to organise everything and get started! This was a big challenge for me as it is a 400-page yearbook that contains information on every aspect of the school year. The job begins in Term Two after all summer sports have concluded. Term Three and Four are very busy terms as I collect all reports and images in addition to my other school activities and roles. The Term Three holidays and first four weeks of Term four are spent from 8am till 12pm on the computer collating the Palmerstonian. Since I had never done anything like this before and I was thrown into it late in the year, figuring it all out was an immense challenge for me in my first year. Although it is a huge and demanding task, I managed to complete it, and now it is one of my favourite aspects of the job. It is satisfying to see everything come together and see what we have accomplished at PNBHS over the entire year.

4. Most impactful book read or podcast followed/listened to?

The autobiography of Phil Knight (the man who founded Nike), “Shoe Dog” is one of the most impactful books I have recently read. As a reminder of what the true path to business success looks like, I really enjoyed this book. The journey is messy, dangerous, and chaotic, full of errors, never-ending challenges, and sacrifice. It shows all of his highs and lows on the way to building one of the largest corporations in the world. It serves as a reminder that working hard to achieve your goals is essential in both life and business. Nothing in life is handed to you – despite the challenges and fears, you must persevere and overcome any obstacles. I enjoyed the story’s fundamentally human quality and the business’s impending bankruptcy, the generous sums borrowed and begged for, and the completely empty bank accounts—everything but unthinkable for a brand with such a well-known name. Shoe Dog is an outstanding exploration of the power of perseverance, hard effort, dreams, and opportunity. It is a fantastic book that I would highly recommend to everyone.

5. Three tips/words of advice for new members and/or those new to Advancement?

My three pieces of advice are to:

Get engaged
Talk to colleagues and other schools
Follow other Social Media platforms to learn from others about your line of work

I would give these tips to new members and/or those new to Advancement. For instance, I’ll be learning everything there is to know about Social Media, how to build a brand, and how to use it effectively in the modern world when I attend a Social Media workshop in Sydney in September. I believe that one of the best ways to learn and grow is from those who are doing the same thing and have first-hand experience with it. Which brings me to my second recommendation – which is to speak with colleagues and other schools that are in the same situation. It is a fantastic opportunity to learn from others in similar jobs from various schools around the country. This will help us all develop and learn. Being able to share knowledge and learn from one another is extremely beneficial in any organisation or position, because we all have different perspectives on various subjects. The third piece of advice I have is to observe what people post on Social Media and follow other schools. There is only one way to find out—try it. Not everything will work for everyone. All schools may use different Social Media strategies, and they might be effective for them, but part of a school’s development and growth is to observe what other schools do and how they evolve. We adopt strategies and abilities from other schools’ posts or activities and try to adapt them since we think they’re fantastic ideas. To be seen or noticed, one must observe, study, and try something out of the ordinary.

6. Three things you enjoy doing in your spare time?

In my spare time I enjoy travelling. Most recently, I went to Malaysia and Thailand, and the year before that, I went to Europe. I enjoy photography which I do a lot of when I travel. One of my favourite areas to take pictures is when I’m exploring new towns and locations and discovering the hidden beauties. I also like to go to the gym in my free time and play cricket in the summer. I play in both the Manawatu Women’s cricket team and Marist club cricket.

Thank you Sally! It’s been wonderful to get to know you!