iib magazine - november 2013
DESCRIPTION
The International Ideas Bulletin is the publication of choice for admissions professionals in international schools. It is designed and published quarterly by SchoolBrand LLC.TRANSCRIPT
Zurich ConferenceMultiple Intelligences of
School Admissions
Page 4
In The NewsCurrent news and events.
Page 16
Mending the Matchmakers...support between admissions and
advancement should be reciprocal...
Page 8
Issue No. 4 November 2013
2
“The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.” Malcom X
BACK TO THE FUTURE...
Admissions & Training Conference - Zurich 2013Over 90 admissions professionals from over 3 continents attended the first ever conference to discuss about Multiple Intelligences of School Admissions.
Welcome to the new and improved
edition of the International Ideas!
One year has passed since the last
edition of the newsletter was sent
out and we are already richer in ideas,
better in looks and smarter in experi-
ences.
The first ever admissions training
and conference, which took place
in September 2013, welcomed over
90 admissions professionals at the
Zurich International School engaging
them in meaningful discussions about
The Multiple Intelligences of School
Admissions. Admissions counterparts
from 3 continents came together to
talk about the hurdles and insights in
their offices, to get new and helpful
ideas about the process of admissions
and telling the story of the school and
receive help in developing their EQ.
The current issue of the international
ideas offers you glimpses of this very
successful and well attended event.
We are happy to be presenting our
newsletter in its “new clothes”, in
tune with the times and easy to
access. Thank you to School Brand
LLC (schoolbrand.com) and to Mario
Zamfir especially for realizing the
importance of professional develop-
ment for all of us and for offering to
help us organize our thoughts in such
an interesting and fun manner.
This year’s newsletter introduces
various resources in the fascinating
worlds of books and IT and talks about
the value of networking.
We are happy to initiate a series of
articles and interview to preview the
ECIS Leadership Conference which
will take place in Seville, Spain, in
April 2014. Inspiring Education is the
avenue the Leadership Conference
will be taking and we are anticipating
that through valuable articles that
talk about connections between the
admissions work and that of other
important offices in the school such
as the business office or the advance-
ment office as well as about the admis-
sions work as part of the strategic
planning of a school.
We embark upon a new year of initia-
tives, questions, answers and debates
and we are doing that with new
energy, new perspectives and many
new friends. The ECIS Admissions
Committee is happy to have started
such a great trend in the advancement
of our profession and is inviting all of
you to stay tuned to the many events
planned for the future, whether online
or in the form of various events.
Catalina Gardescu, Editor
ECIS Admissions Committee Chair
3The International Ideas Bulletin
The Multiple Intelligences of School Admissions
The first ever Admissions Conference and Training took place at the Zurich
International school in September 2013.
Hosted in one of the beautiful ZIS campuses, under the auspices of the European
Council of International Schools and attended by around 100 admissions
professionals from international schools on 3 continents, the event featured great
speakers and thought provoking gatherings.
Building on the past successful experiences of job-a-likes, this conference led
professionals through discussions about the admissions process, telling the
story of schools as well as managing ourselves and others. Marketing schools,
diplomacy skills, protocol, emotional intelligence, managing documents, successful
software stories, social media, were just a few of the topics that were brought into
discussion and many of the participants commented in their feedback about the
many things that they have learned.
Thank you to our gracious host, the Zurich International School for their warm
welcome; to our great speakers for inspiring us and to the ECIS Admissions
Committee for putting in great amounts of work as well as financial contributions
to make this conference a great success! To many more ahead!
Catalina Gardescu, Editor
ECIS Admissions Committee Chair
CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS
"this conference led professionals through discussions about the admissions process"
Connecting with PeopleOne of the most well attended
conference seminars was “Con-
necting with People”. The session
conceptualized the admissions
officer as a ‘hub’, at the heart of
a network of people, places and
relationships.
Read more on page 4
The Multiple Intelligences of School AdmissionTraining & ConferenceZurich, 2013
A final thanks to those of you
who joined us for the Admissions
Conference in Zurich! For those
of you who missed it, we look
forward to seeing you in the next
one and here is a brief synopsis
of what happened...
Read more on page 4
4
depicting an emotionally intense 15
minutes in the life of an admissions
officer. The facilitators encouraged
participants to share good practice
through guided discussion, and pro-
vided tips and techniques from their
own experience.
The session closed with the facilita-
tors sharing advice on how to manage
the emotional pressures of our role as
a hub, including resources to support
the development of EQ, and practi-
cal emotion management techniques
such as writing therapy and mindful-
ness meditation.
A final thanks to those of you
who joined us for the Admissions
Conference in Zurich! For those of
you who missed it, we look forward to
seeing you in the next one and here is
a brief synopsis of what happened.
The first day was designed as a pre-
by James Cooper, IS Paris and Claudine Hakim, ISL Surrey
One of the most well attended conference seminars was “Connecting with People”.
Its objectives were as follows:
• To help participants recognize the wide array of different people that admissions
officers need to connect with on a day-to-day basis
• To help participants make, manage and maintain these connections as effective-
ly as possible, with a major focus on the role of Emotional Intelligence
• To help participants find ways to effectively handle the emotional intensity
which often comes along with managing these connections
The session conceptualized the admissions officer as a ‘hub’, at the heart of a net-
work of people, places and relationships. The theory of Emotional Intelligence was
fore grounded as a key element in performing our ‘hub’ role effectively, and partici-
pants were provided with a brief introduction to the key tenets of the theory and
its relevance to admissions. This was followed by a hands-on group discussion task
which asked participants to corroboratively reflect on a semi-fictitious scenario
CONNECTINGWITH PEOPLE
THE MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES OF SCHOOL ADMISSIONTRAINING & CONFERENCE
conference tailored to meet the needs
of Admissions Professionals with
less than five years of experience.
Alongside David Willows, Director
of External Relations at IS Brussels,
Claudine Hakim, Head of Secondary
& Head of Admissions at IS London
in Surrey, James Cooper, Beatrice
Caston, Admissions, Communications
and Development Director at IS
Duesseldorf and Alec Aspinwall,
Director of Admissions and
Advancement at Frankfurt IS, I was
fortunate enough to lead sessions in
workshop format throughout the day.
We commenced with David and
Zurich, 2013 by James Cooper, IS Paris and Claudine Hakim, ISL Surrey
5The International Ideas Bulletin
Beatrice guiding us through ‘Telling
the Story,’ which focused on how
to communicate a shared learning
vision, the strategies we in admissions
can use to help people find their
place in our story, and looked
at the relationship between the
tour, telephone and website in the
admissions office.
‘Managing the Process’ followed,
which gave Alec and I the opportunity
to discuss whether the admissions
process matches a school’s articles
of association and the mission
statement. We also looked at financial
aid, nationality caps, waiting lists,
required application documents, and
the role of inquiries.
After lunch we proceeded to
‘Connecting with People,’ which
afforded Claudine and James an
opportunity to share why admissions
is such an emotionally demanding
position, and what the role of an
admissions professional is in managing
families in global transition. The
session examined the importance
of human connections not only with
the prospective student and parents,
but third party constituents like
relocation companies, or educational
consultants.
The day concluded with a round-robin
style of short 10 minute sessions
designed around four components:
• Data in Admissions Office
• Where am I on my personal
Admissions continuum
• What resources are available to me
as an Admissions professional
• Feedback surveys
The format of the day was designed
for give-and-take conversations so
that the audience could learn from
others at their tables, and beg, borrow
and steal the best ideas in the room!
It was a productive day full of good
discussion, debate and learning.
The on-going dialogue allowed
questions to be asked and answered,
and also served as a reminder of the
importance of the work all of us do,
day in and day out.
6
I would like to introduce you to School Brand - a Canadian brand design agency that works exclusively with private international schools. I have worked with School Brand for the past 12 years. They are trustworthy and reliable.
Working with School Brand has always been easy and stress free, the results are timely and exactly what we want and most importantly exactly what we need. They have helped our school produce yearbooks, enrollment and communications materials, trade show displays and are involved in all aspects of design that AISB requires.
They set a high benchmark right from the beginning. They are reactive when we need them, resourceful when we hit hurdles and insightful when we seek advice. We are very happy with the level of commitment they bring to each project and the high quality and usability of the end product they deliver.
We became a problem customer in the middle of a project as we had made mistakes with our directory database. Our solution was to make a note of it and fix it the following year but School Brand helped us through this blip. Their solution, in the words of the principal, "let's do it right the first time". His answer is a statement that defines the entire work ethic of the agency!
I would like to thank School Brand for noticing our group and offering to design our newsletter and corporate identity. I hope you are as excited as I am about this wonderfully designed newsletter.
I look forward to many more great issues to come. Thank you School Brand!
Catalina Gardescu
AISB 50th Anniversary Project 2012
School Brand created the visual identity, print and marketing collateral for AISB's 50th Anniversary.
7The International Ideas Bulletin
Why School BrandSchool Brand is a creative agency that works exclusively with private international schools. We provide a broad range of education marketing services at both strategic and tactical levels. With a product offering embracing marketing communications, brand development, web development and research & consultancy, delivered through digital and traditional media we are the marketing and advertising agency for the education sector.
We recently asked our clients why they work with us and five key reasons kept coming up:
Five reasons we feel you shouldbe working with School Brand:
Custom made solutionsEverything we create is built with your school in mind. We don’t use templates, we don't outsource your work to design mills, and everything we do is completely unique to you.
Qualified and experiencedWe have over 20 years industry experience. We are passionate about consumer engagement and it shows in all our work.
Results focusedOur marketing techniques – whether print or online – are completely results focused. We work exclusively with private international schools.
Big enough to deliver, small enough to careAt School Brand we treat each job as if it was our own. We genuinely care about each and every client and project.
Proactive ApproachWe’re always on top of all the latest changes in the digital world. It is this proactive approach and unrelenting dedica-tion that recommends us as an agency of choice.
WE PLAN, CRAFT AND DEVELOPOUTSTANDING BRANDSto help you reach your goals for enrollment, development & alumni relations
www.schoolbrand.com
8
The combination of “Admissions and
Advancement” initially appears a
joining of strange bedfellows. The first
“A” shuns any perception that money
might play a role in determining if a
student is qualified for admission, gladly
“passing the buck” to the accounting
department to collect fees after a
family has been admitted. The second
“A” recognizes that schools cannot
operate merely with high standards and
core values, but need supplementary
funding to translate these ideals into
action. However, while these roles
may conjure different images, they are
closely related in that they both are
in the business of offering a targeted
invitation to make a student-centered
decision.
Admissions and advancement share a
common task of creating compelling
messages that will resonate for a
specific audience. The Admission
officer seeks to attract the interest of
students and families that have the
abilities, interests and values that are a
match for the school. The Advancement
professional has a particular interest
in sharing a message with the subset of
the community that has the greatest
interest and capacity to offer additional
financial support. While different in
their core messages, both admissions
and advancement are variations on
the age-old practice of matchmaking,
bringing together those who share a
common vision.
It is easily understood how admissions
can support the fundraising efforts of
a school. As new families inquire about
an institution through its website and
personal meetings on campus, the
admission professional can be clear
that a culture of giving exists within the
school community. This giving history
should be a source of pride because
it not only speaks of existing parents’
belief in and support of the school’s
mission, it also results in facilities and
programs that otherwise would not
be possible. The admission office’s
familiarity with the background of
incoming families can also help in
the early identification of those who
would appreciate a special invitation
to support the school AFTER they have
been enrolled. (We often forget that
true philanthropists enjoy exercising
their ability to make a meaningful
difference in the world!)
The support between admissions and
advancement should be reciprocal, with
admissions also benefitting from talents
and information advancement can
offer. Advancement professionals are
often masters of the craft of sharing a
message, and this message of a school’s
unique value is of the same ilk that
the admission office must share. And
while families may have a relatively
short relationship with the admissions
office, the advancement office will
often create an extended partnership
with families that can result in valuable
perspectives and information that is
useful to attracting new families to the
school.
Admissions and advancement are two
sides of the same coin. Both extend
an invitation to become a part of
something special. Both will succeed or
fail depending on their ability to craft a
clear and concise message that reflects
the value proposition that they are
offering. Whether these departments
are led by a single person or headed by
different individuals, recognizing their
common goals and interests will create
a synergy that will ultimately better
serve students.
MENDING THE MATCHMAKERSby Alec Aspinwall, Frankfurt International School
9The International Ideas Bulletin
UNITYDuring my school tours I always mention how important the cooperation between parents and teachers/school is, that´s why I love this poem which is stuck to my office door.
ANY GOOD READS LATELY?For a “professional” and not science fiction
book, Lencioni’s book was pretty captivating.
Two days is all it took for me to go through the
metaphor he puts together to illustrate the five
dysfunction of teams. What teams? Any teams. I
see this book as very useful to CEOs of companies
as well as managers of smaller teams within
school divisions. Also, useful to get glimpses of
leadership improvement suggestions is Lencioni’s
blog entitled “The Table Group”. I enjoy their
newsletters (this week I read about the power
of simplicity in leadership) and the blog also
hosts a variety of survey’s and tests to spot the
dysfunctions of specific teams.
One word Say Search. Think Google. Say Priceless. Think Mastercard
The question Are you better off than you were 4 years ago? (Regan, 1980)
The rhyming pitch A Mars a day helps you work rest and play.
The subject line pitch Three Simple Ways to Ensure that Your Emails Get Read
The Pixar Pitch Once upon a time… Every day… Because of that… Until finally…
The Twitter Pitch We’re all in sales now, but sales isn’t what it used to be.
Find the answer to the interesting question for all people in sales - is there life beyond the elevator pitch?
What? What is the elevator pitch? Well, check out this book.
10
As my crystal ball has failed me a couple of
times in previous years, I have tried over time
to develop a formula by which to efficiently
estimate numbers we are to start with in
the year to come. The items of my recipe for
putting together such a formula were the
following:
• Management of data over the course of at
least 5 years: enrollment at the beginning
of the year and year end, intake of new
students at the beginning of the year and
in mid year, withdrawal rate
• Figuring out percentages of increase or
decrease over the years and applying that
to the last enrollment
I am not a math person. I have never been
one. In putting together the formula I came
up with last year when I was asked for
projections over the next 10 years so that
our school could start talking to architects
about a plan to expand the campus, I seeked
the help of our Math department. Everything
was fine, numbers came up reasonably in
line with what our Board had anticipated,
they seemed to make sense. I had a feeling
something was missing though …. I felt the
human factor was missing.
In international schools all around the world
our intake and outpours are of people,
Enrollment Fact #2"Projections of enrollment cannot be solely mathemati-cal nor entirely based on the human factor"
by Catalina Gardescu, AIS Bucharest
October gives me chills every year. And not because fall is finally here and the summer sun warms us up much less. No. Because it is the time when I have to be putting together enrollment projections for the year to come.
ENROLLMENT PROJECTIONSIS THERE A FORMULA?
Enrollment Fact #1"Projections may be really positive on paper but if your campus grounds do not accommodate the great numbers that show in your reports, you have to adapt the numbers as the income will be generated solely by those attending and not by those projected."
11The International Ideas Bulletin
of students who are part of families
connected with international companies
or missions strategies of human resources
and development. We all function in an
incredibly intricate web that cannot be
ignored when looking to project how our
schools will progress (or the contrary) in
the following years.
Realizing that projections of enrollment
cannot be solely mathematical nor
entirely based on the human factor I
have tried in the formula used this year
to take into account both and here are
some elements of my recipe for successful
projections:
1. Stay in touch through various
channels (press, FB, newsletters)
with changes in the economy of the
country the school resides in. If 20 of
your students are there through P&G
and the company is suddenly moving
headquarters elsewhere you know
that this is bound to be seen in your
numbers.
2. Look a bit more closely at current
students demographics trying to
figure out who will be returning.
Figure out categories (new, 1-2
years, 3 years and over 3 years;
expat and nationals) and – based
on the realities of the country you
are in – estimate return. Yes, it
is a guessing game but isn’t it all
something of the sort?
3. Look at your intake of new
students over the past 5 years –
do the numbers look somewhat
alike? It pays to know of course if
there are any major events that
have generated a bigger intake
of students but make an average
intake and add it to the returning
students you have figured out
already. If you look back at your
numbers you will notice that we
are sometimes touched by what
I call “large generations” – how
else would we explain the fact that
grade 5 is full in many different
schools around the globe. Make
sure you take this into account as
well.
4. Look at your facilities. Are you
able to take all applying students
in the year to come? Do you
have classes that are closed?
Are there any expansion plans
going to be materialized soon?
Projections may be really positive
on paper but if your campus
grounds do not accommodate
the great numbers that show in
your reports, you have to adapt
the numbers as the income will
be generated solely by those
attending and not by those
projected.
5. Advise your Admin Team and
Board on adjustments to make
in separating class sections to
maximize student intake.
Remember, this is not exact science
and it can never be. Adjust your sales
as you go on and be prudent without
being completely pessimistic about
what your next enrollment will look
like. Good luck!
12
PARENT’S WEEKENDWHY, WHEN, HOWby Sam Stover, TASIS The American School in England
On a beautifully rainy Thursday evening in early October, people shuffled along under umbrellas trying to make it to class on time. Mind you, these were not students, but their parents!
Upper School Parents’ Weekend kicked off with
a welcome by the school
headmaster, followed by the
parents following their child(ren)’s
schedule. The first ‘class’ of the
evening was a meeting with the
Academic Advisor, followed by
ten minutes in each class with
the classroom teacher. The short
amount of time gave the teacher
an opportunity to introduce his/
herself and give a brief overview
of the course. The individual
parent-teacher meetings occurred
the following day.
Throughout the day on Friday
the gym is filled with teachers
meeting with parents and the
students. Six weeks into the
school year, teachers now have a
good understanding of student’s
strengths and weaknesses. It gives
the opportunity for feedback
before the end of the quarter,
which is the first official marking
period of the school year. For
many of the parents of boarding
students, it is the first face-to-
face contact they have with each
teacher.
As the parent-teacher meetings
start to come to a close, there
is a gradual shift in the physical
appearance of the students and
parents on campus. However, it
has nothing to do with the amount
of conversation their parents have
had with their teachers…
At 15:00, the Lower School students
come dashing out of the building
in an array of bright colors. They
sport a wide array of clothing styles,
from sports jerseys to kimonos—
the international festival is about
to begin! Students are asked to
wear their native dress, and their
13The International Ideas Bulletin
parents are asked to bring a food
dish native to their home country.
Tables line the back wall of the big
marquee on the lawn, the flags of the
nations represented in the student
body proudly hanging behind. After
the Lower School students’ parade
through in their native dress, the
opportunity for the whole school
community to ‘eat around the world’
begins. Sushi from the Japanese
families, Belgian mousse from the
Belgians, paella from the Spanish,
BBQ from the Americans, and a
plethora of other tasty delights--
it is a wonderful opportunity for
us to celebrate the diversity of
our school.
Because the festival is the
same day as parent-teacher
conferences, it draws a huge
crowd of parents from both the
day and boarding community.
Throughout the festival groups of
students showcase their talents
in tae kwon do, cheerleading,
and native dance. As the festival
winds down, smiles are plastered
on the faces of the students and
parents alike, most likely thinking of
the delicious treats they have just
consumed. To the students, food is
the most important part of the day.
To the teachers and parents, the day
serves as a wonderful reminder of
the impact our teachers play in the
lives of our students, and of how
fortunate each of us is to work and
learning such a global environment.
14
INTERVIEWDR. ARNIE BIEBER Can you give a brief account of the schools you have worked at and the schools you have led? Do you have any professional experience in school admissions?
Over the past twenty years I have worked at international
schools in Munich, Caracas, Bucharest and now the Interna-
tional School of Prague. As a school leader, I have often been
involved in the admissions process, but have not been an ad-
missions officer.
Please offer a brief description of the Interna-tional School of Prague, the school you are cur-rently leading. It would be interesting to know the number of students, nationalities, recent growth and any other aspect you deem important.
Founded in 1948, the International School of Prague is the
oldest and most respected international school in the Czech
Republic. With a world-wide reputation as a leader in a inter-
national education, ISP’s 800 students, representing over 60
nationalities, prekindergarten through high school, learn and
develop in an innovative and nurturing multicultural environ-
ment, with programs designed to meet the needs of twenty-
first century learners.
I know that your school has recently hired a new admissions professional. What are the skills and qualifications as well as personality traits that you look for when hiring?
Over the past few years we have restructured out Admissions
Office so that it is now functioning as a part of our Advance-
ment Office. Given that our Admissions is the first place that
new families are in contact with, we felt that this change made
sense. Furthermore the new position of Admissions and Com-
munications Manager reflects the outreach component of this
position within the admissions process. The key expectations
for this new position are organizational skills, sales and mar-
keting ability, excellent verbal and written communications,
high level of interpersonal skills with a focus of managing ap-
plicant expectations.
15The International Ideas Bulletin
As a school Director, what is your relationship with your Admissions Officer / Director? Do you meet regularly? What do your discussions center on?
The Admissions/Communications Manager and I meet on a
regular, but mostly on an informal basis, as she reports directly
to the Advancement Director. Nonetheless, it is important for
me to hear regularly about major admissions trends, as well as
ways I can support the work of the Admissions Office. For ex-
ample, whenever I am available, I meet and greet families that
are applying for admissions to ISP as well as newly admitted
families.
What is the information received through your admissions office that you find most useful in developing your school?
The Admissions Office provides regular enrollment updates,
which includes the latest trends and nationality breakdowns,
language ability, learning support and EAL needs of our stu-
dents. These are all monitored closely, so that we are aware
of any changing demographics. Another important document
is the Annual Competitive analyses, which provides in-depth
information about the local private and international school
market in reference to enrollment numbers, demographics,
curriculum, after-school activities, tuition and fees, university
admissions, resources, facilities, languages taught, as well as
support services such as counseling, learning support and EAL.
When it comes to making strategic plans for your school, do you involve the admissions office? If yes, how? If no, why not?
The Advancement/Admissions Office has integral involve-
ment in our strategic planning process. A central goal is to
ensure that the admissions process is highly efficient and cus-
tomer service based, as well as ensuring that all eligible stu-
dents are admitted. Another strategic goal for the admissions
is to improve outreach to the local market, such as corpora-
tions, embassies and relocation companies.
As a school leader with many years of experience in international schools, what would be the areas that you feel are most important in the profes-sional development of admissions officers?
The most effective form of professional development targets
the needs of each individual employee in the organization. This
is why our appraisal process includes a central professional
development goal. Each of us has strengths and weaknesses
and professional development must target areas that require
support and improvement. While there are a variety of skills
that could have a focus such as languages, marketing, writing,
technology etc., ongoing interaction with other admissions
personnel from other schools should always be a component
of an effective PD plan.
STAY IN TOUCH WITH YOUR PROFESSIONAL PEERS
�International Ideas Group: Sign up to email list serve by contacting Catalina Gardescu,
ECIS Admissions Committee Chair
Email: [email protected]
�ECIS: www.ecis.org
�Independent Schools Management:http://isminc.com/
�CASE:www.case.org
�AISAP:www.aisap.org
16
ISK marked this important milestone at
a ceremony attended by US Ambassador
Robert Godec and Canadian High
Commissioner David Angell. ISK Staff,
faculty, students, and parents watched
with excitement as both dignitaries
cut the ribbon to officially open The
Commons. ISK’s Director, John Roberts
amongst other board members also
shared a few words honoring this
auspicious occasion.
In 2011, The International School of
Kenya embarked on a $40 million capital
investment to extend its state-of-the-
art facilities and ensure a world-leading
international school for Kenya. Nairobi
has become a magnet in Africa for
diplomatic missions, the United Nations,
foreign investment, and NGO’s.
The International School of Kenya (ISK) recently held a ribbon cutting ceremony
to mark the official opening of the school’s new Commons. The Commons is the
thriving and active center of academic and social life on campus and offers a wide
variety of student-centered learning areas:
• Beautiful, bright, and spacious library
• Technology space for Design Tech and Media Production
• Cafeteria with a variety of interesting, open-air eating areas
• Conference rooms and various multipurpose rooms.
The Commons reflects ISK's commitment to staying abreast of the trends in
today's best learning environments and green technology, all in an architecturally
dramatic yet friendly space. The Commons complements ISK’s lush campus and
outdoor orientation.
17The International Ideas Bulletin
LITTLE LONDON BECOMES AVENOR COLLEGETen years ago, Little London started out as a kindergarten.
Since then, it has expanded into primary and secondary
school, it has grown into two campuses, and it has
made significant investments into brand new, custom-
designed buildings. But, most importantly, it has grown
a much larger, highly professional faculty that provided
an educational experience that is cutting-edge, holistic,
and highly satisfying to the entire academic community:
children, parents and teachers.
Our community realized that our former brand identity
had grown utterly obsolete. Students in more advanced
years as well as their parents and the teachers felt the
“little” qualifier in the brand name was not suitable for
them and for a prestigious college that was also preparing
to inaugurate a high-school in 2015. That is why the
management team decided to make a radical change in
this respect, one that would prove inspirational to the
very diverse brand stakeholders, from inside and outside
the school.
Creating a new brand identity that would gain acceptance
throughout the school community required a brand audit
that involved stakeholders of all ages and roles, without
overlooking the competitive context. This audit provided
the basis the joint school- branding agency team needed
to develop a representative brand definition. In turn,
the definition allowed for the effective development of
basic identity elements (name, slogan and logo) that were
subsequently rolled out in corporate communication and
signage materials.
Our goal has been reached: we have a new name with great
potential, one that is full of meaning, British-sounding yet
meaningful in other major languages, easy to remember with a
positive vibe, and able to take you to a place where you really
want to learn and live. We really found ourselves in this new
name: Avenor – Creators of Future
Through its roots, the newly minted brand name Avenor speaks
of the road (avenue) to the future (French: avenir). This idea
is explicitly reinforced by the new brand slogan, Creators of
Future. The new logo in the shape of a star made up of simple,
colorful stripes, depicts the school community with its different
constituents and interests that converge towards a shared
purpose. The whole of the new brand identity was enthusiastically
received by students, parents and teachers alike, who instantly
identified with it and took it up with much pride.
Before future, Avenor College has a tradition. A school that has
grown year by year and this autumn it has reached the number
of 210 students and the first future graduates of the 8th grade.
A school benefiting from a campus with exceptional equipment,
but also from a remarkable team of teachers. A school ranked at
the highest standards in the Romanian education system and not
only. All these oblige and guide our going forward: perspective,
direction, vision.
submitted by Cristina Pop, Avenor College
18
19The International Ideas Bulletin
STORY IDEAS WELCOMEInternational Ideas Bulletin strives to present news, stories and other content in the course of each year that is of particular interest or pertinence to Admissions professionals. We rely in part on your input to guide and generate articles. This is your publication and we always welcome your contributions.
� NEWS: Your career is ever-changing. Let others know about the changes and trends in your particular country/area, or school.
� PROFILES: Want to share your own story? International Ideas Bulletin is a great way to share ideas, best practices, etc.
� FEEDBACK: Write to us and share your viewpoints (members and non-members alike).
Write to Catalina Gardescu at [email protected] for more information.
Publisher
School Brand LLC
www.schoolbrand.com
In the next issue March 2014
School Admissions: Strategic importance to any international school leadership team.
Editor
Catalina Gardescu
www. aisb.ro
MEET OUR TEAM