5
Baron, who skis, plays tennis, and is a
member of the SPS Debate Team, aspires
to work with as many big brands as
possible.
“The next step,” he told
Ad Age
, “is to
move from Southern clothing brands to
clients like the Oakleys, Ray-Bans, Nikes,
and Adidas of the world.” In the long term,
he added in an interview with
Alumni
Horae
, Baron aspires to make PrepReps
“one of the biggest marketing companies
in the United States.”
PrepReps is finalizing its partnership
with a global technology company that
will allow the company to perform up-to-
the-minute and much more thorough
analysis on the social performances of
reps. The partnership has allowed Baron
to cultivate relationships with a number
of international publicly traded technology
brands interested in making use of the
database and accompanying technology
in different ways. The publicity in
Ad Age
has gone a long way in validating Prep-
Reps, and has led to interest from potential
new clients, investors, venture capitalists,
and advisors.
“As a millennial,” Baron tells
AH
, “I am
in a unique position to be a part of a
marketing revolution that will funda-
mentally change how members of my
generation – who spend more time in
front of a device than any generation
before us – will engage with the products
they love.”
Renovating Hargate
Over Christmas Vacation, work began
on the initial phase to move the SPS fine
arts program to the Moore and Freeman
buildings. The project is expected to last
through the summer of 2017. While stu-
dents were away from school in December,
PERRY SMITH
the upper level of the Freeman Center
was renovated into three temporary
fine arts classrooms. An additional two
classrooms were fabricated in a wide
trailer situated between Freeman and
Memorial Hall. Eventually, Freeman will
become home to the SPS art gallery.
Meanwhile, the Hargate building was
emptied as Harvey Construction began
renovation of the site, which will be-
come the School’s new community center,
located at the heart of the campus. The
yearlong project is scheduled to culmi-
nate with the opening of the community
center in the winter of 2017. Relocation
of the SPS fine arts program to its
permanent home in Moore is set to
commence this summer and last approx-
imately 10 months. The final phase of
the project, the transition of the upper
level of Freeman to house the SPS art
gallery, will begin once construction of
Moore, which includes a small addition,
is complete. The Freeman Center’s
transformation will likely begin in the
summer of 2017.
Building Greater
Understanding
In late January, visiting speakers chal-
lenged the self-perception of Third and
Fourth Form students and their roles in
the St. Paul’s School community as part
of the School’s ongoing Living in Com-
munity (LINC) curriculum.
Mike Weber, a leadership coach with
Southwestern Consulting, and Dr. August
Leming, a sports psychologist based in
Princeton, N.J., examined leadership and
emotional intelligence through interac-
tive discussion in small-group settings.
Their visit was part of LINC’s ongoing
skill-building sessions to help students
become involved in the SPS community
and develop a greater understanding of
their peers and themselves.
“All too often, students and faculty
assume that leadership is associated with
designated or earned roles within the
institution,” said SPS Dean of Students
Chad Green. “In reality, each and every
one of us can exercise leadership, regard-
less of age or position in our community.”
Weber engaged the Third Form in the
Lindsay Center, with a dialogue on peer
influence and accountability.
“The classic rule is that the only people
who can lead are Sixth Formers,” said
Weber. “This is about changing the def-
inition of who students think gets to be
leaders, and who is responsible.”
Weber led the group in a series of
“Simon Says”-style exercises, demon-
strating the power of herd mentality and
the importance of speaking up. His goal
was to leave the Third Formers feeling
empowered about their position within
the School and the greater community.
On his second of four planned visits to
SPS this year, Dr. Leming turned the dis-
cussion inward, leading Fourth Formers
through a five-minute meditation prac-
tice in Memorial Hall.
“August Leming’s fundamental message
of taking the time to pay attention to our-
selves with intention and self-compassion,”
said Green, “ties directly into the social
and emotional competencies and skills we
strive to build in each of our students.”
The visits also support Building Healthy
Community, a School initiative that works
in tandem with the LINC curriculum to
support safe and strong relationships
among students and adults in the SPS
community.
CORRECTION: From the
Alumni office
An error was made in the 2014-15
Annual Report of St. Paul’s School.
The chart on page 47 correctly rec-
ognizes that the 50th and 55th reun-
ions set records for reunion Annual
Fund dollars, but incorrectly cited
the respective forms. The Form
of 1965 set the record for a 50th
reunion, while the Form of 1960 set
the record for a 55th reunion. Our
apologies and our congratulations
to those forms.
TENLEY ROONEY
