October heralds open house season. Just as every school is different, no two schools run open houses in exactly the same way. Here are some insights gleaned from the open house veterans on our Admission Director e-List!

OK, OK, of course we know technology has yet to hand us an app that is as resourceful or as accurate as our doctors are. Regardless of the reports that tie health benefits to apps, online trends, and social media usage, the original cliché we stole our title from is still by far your healthiest choice—the classic apple. It’s no secret, the key to good health is in the fuel you feed your body. So, keep those apples in your lunch pails! However, technology has handed us some crafty gadgets—97,000 at last count—that not only complement our healthy diets, but also work to keep us in line when we try to wander past the gym and into the local bakery. Here are a few suggestion-worthy apps to pass along to your health-committed faculty and staff as part of your Wellness Initiative.

Q: Do you have any suggestions for a process for student and employees to report concerns or misdeeds?

When you hear there have been 74 school shootings since the Sandy Hook tragedy in 2012, it’s hard to believe that gun violence is declining. However, the statistics are showing that our campuses and communities are safer now than they were two decades ago. While 74 is not a number worthy of a long exhale of relief, news of declining gun violence does allow a certain level of comfort—and it allows us to focus some of our risk management planning regarding other threats that can affect your school beyond gun control.

With two beautiful campuses and a wide array of exceptional programs for scholars, athletes, and artists alike, Valley Christian boasted some impressive stats that should've made any advertising campaign easy to pull off. But marketing a school requires more than just numbers and bulleted lists of accomplishments, as the newly minted Director of Marketing Kim Ellefsen discovered. In the end, her original “I Am a Warrior” campaign both inspired the on-campus community of teachers and students, and attracted outside acclaim.

How much money can today's students—tomorrow's work force—expect to make over their lifetimes? As it turns out, private-independent schools control several factors that may impact a student’s lifetime earning potential.

Independent schools are blessed with their autonomy. No outside regulatory board can tell them what, when, or how to teach their students. But, what happens when qualifying exams run by external companies and boards decide to adjust the tested information? Do private schools stick with their curricula, or change them to ensure high test performance and better college admission for students? Welcome to the chaotic world of AP US History.

Q: After our Welcome Back Orientation, we had an employee indicate she wished to drop our health coverage effective January 1, 2015, and purchase an individual policy on the exchange. Is this allowed, as our insurance renews October 1?

Policing students on technology and social media can feel like a Sisyphean effort at times. Students always seem to discover workarounds for security obstacles set before them, whether it’s an expensive firewall or the latest generation of record encryption software. Enter Exhibit A: The Yik Yak app.

When is a disaster an unavoidable strike of fate versus a foreseeable misfortune? That question encapsulates the potential risk your school evaluates every time a tragedy like the Sandy Hook shooting or the Ebola outbreak appears on national media. But no one could have foreseen the consequences a tick bite would have on a young private school student returning from a school-hosted trip to China—consequences that would have one school sued for millions of dollars.