BUILDING ON THE PAST, LOOKING FORWARD

A school is more than a list of programs and features, more than a logo, more even than a philosophy or mission statement. A school has a purpose, a personality, formed throughout its years in existence by the unique contributions of those in its learning community. All those parts form a whole made manifest by the emotional connections of deeply felt relationships. While our most recent strategic vision, The Dream That Drives Us, examined our aspirational goals as a school and how to achieve them, we have also been engaged in a multiyear process to reflect on who we are and how to best articulate that to a diversity of new staff members, families, and community partners.

In the summer of 2019, we began working in partnership with Mission Minded, a branding firm that works exclusively with nonprofits, to begin the process of reflection on and refinement of how we express our identity in what we say and how we look. Our Mission Minded partners proved to be deep listeners, refining their understanding of our school through broad community surveys and with in-person and small group interviews and work sessions. The first phase of the project produced a series of honed messages and communications, emphasizing the intentionality behind our educational program, the importance of student voice and choice, and our goal to learn and live with purpose. Those messages then laid a framework for the content of updated print and digital admission materials and a complementary revision of our website. The second phase provided a visual language and system to animate the messsages and provide consistency not only in what we say, but also in how we look.

Through our partnership, we began to see the identity of our school come to life in ways that were inspirational and affirming, and that represented us with integrity and honesty. The team of staff shepherding the process on behalf of the school then saw a unique opportunity to more fully embrace this new visual expression of our strengths by revisiting the logo of the school. With its rounded square and quirky but traditional typeface, the logo embodied both simplicity and decades in the life of our school. Many options were considered, from a more subtle refresh of the existing elements to a wide variety of newer interpretations. What you see now is not only meant to be a reflection of all we are now, but who we strive to be, a place that sparks curiosity, invites interpretation, and is both grounded and expansive.

We look forward to the ways in which these new methods of communication will continue to strengthen our reputation and evoke a sense of this extraordinary community.

— Katherine Scott

Visit our redesigned website, launched in October, at www.cfsnc.org