MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
CASE STUDY: WATERS ELEMENTARY
THE GOAL
By co-founding a organization called WatersToday, my goal was to help create positive awareness about Waters Elementary School in order to increase enrollent there from families in the neighborhood community.
MARKETING WATERS ELEMENTARY
I developed on- and off-line surveys about interest in Waters School; our group canvassed the neighborhood with it. To market the school, I designed a brochure for the school and led open houses and tours. To engage the community, I organized events to paint rooms and hallways, started free community outreach such as Tot Programs and summer camps, and I helped start up new afterschool programs. To foster ongoing communication, I developed two separate websites for parent and community awareness. I created the template for weekly newsletters for parents; and I continue to develop flyers featuring important information when necessary. By writing grants and starting fundraising events, I have been helpful in ensuring that Waters can continue its Ecology Program, and ensure that every student has access to Music via a full time Music teacher.
A BIT ABOUT WATERSTODAY
In November of 2005, a group of parents, including myself, interested in improving enrollment and the reputation of Waters School formed an external/community organization called WatersToday. With a common belief in the importance of strong neighborhood schools, our goal was to increase enrollment and community awareness of our neighborhood school. At that time, enrollment was down. As kids graduated from the 8th grade, fewer people were coming to fill the Kindergarten on the other end. Most families in our neighborhood did not consider Waters to be a viable option.
WatersToday worked with the principal and Waters’ staff to market the school and attract the neighborhood. We were immediately awed with the staff’s commitment to a multi-cultural environment, the sense of community, the gardens, the warmth of the environment, but most importantly the integrated hands-on curriculum, and how subjects were woven throughout art, music, drama, ecology and the homeroom subjects.
WatersToday canvassed the neighborhood, hosted Open Houses, organized community events to paint the rooms and hallways, started free community outreach Tot Programs in the school, created summer camps and afterschool programs, and started community-based fundraising. The efforts of WatersToday produced results. Word got around and Waters began to attract neighborhood interest, and as a result, the student population grew. The amount of neighborhood kids walking or riding their bikes to school touts a noticeable difference. Overall enrollment of the school has increased from 300 studentsin 2005, to almost 650 students in 2013. The community has benefited from the efforts of WatersToday, as Waters is once again a highly-enrolled neighborhood school.
