The community of White River School District is a mostly rural one spread out near the base of Mt. Rainier. They passed a bond back in 2001 to build a new high school, and in August, 2015 their elementary and middle schools were in desperate need of renovation, along with improvements to the high school athletic field that could not be accomplished with the first bond. School supporters were worried that the bond proposal of $98.8 million would give many voters sticker shock.
The ESD 112 communications department met with district leadership to brainstorm a community outreach plan based on community pride to communicate the need. The plan included photography at each school, including a photo with four generations of district students to use in custom materials designed for each school that outlined what improvements were proposed. The bond passed with a 68% approval from voters in the February, 2016 election!
In addition to helping pass the bond, this campaign also received recognition in 2017 from the Washington School Public Relations Association (WSPRA) including Best in Category for Marketing/Branding and awards for photography.
Glacier Middle School Environmental Graphics
Although all of the schools received funding, Glacier Middle School received the largest portion with the plan to selectively renovate some buildings while completely replacing and adding others. The project timeline was pretty lengthy with the goal of completion in 2020.
As the project was nearing completion, the ESD 112 creative team was once again recruited to design an environmental graphics plan and redesign the middle school logo.
Original Logo
New Logo
In working with the principal, the team put together a series of “Character Strong” graphics with the goal of using positive messaging and quotes all based on the school’s collective efficacy policy.
“We are so proud of our investment with you. The results are marvelous!,” said Nick Hedman, Principal at Glacier Middle School. “The brand and environmental graphics represent exactly who we are, and your process was outstanding.”
The team ended up designing 35 different graphics to be installed throughout the middle school and worked closely with the printing company, Graphics Northwest, to make sure all of the graphics were sized and installed correctly.
The results speak for themselves.
Photos courtesy of Graphics Northwest
ESD 112 equalizes educational opportunities for learning communities through innovative partnerships, responsive leadership, and exceptional programs.