The answer is YES.

It’s a quiet Tuesday morning when you spot it: a flashy school flyer featuring the mascot rendered as a slick, colorful cartoon akin to a breakfast cereal commercial. No logo, brand colors or fonts, and definitely no district approval. Just pure, unbridled AI image generation courtesy of a well-meaning staff member.

Karen Bevers is the Director of Communication & Community Engagement at Bremerton School District, where she leads a highly engaging social media presence and manages everything from ParentSquare and website management to strategic communications and consistent district branding. Recently, she guided the district through a 15-month rebrand in partnership with our ESD team. We sat down with Karen to hear how she got into school communications, what it took to bring a community along on a new brand, and how she stays motivated.

We spoke with Communications Manager Anna Hixon about a recent collaboration with ESD 112’s Prevent Coalition and the Washington State Department of Health to make Safety Study Hall resources easier for schools and districts to share. Together, the team developed ready-to-use communications materials featuring vetted information on important health and safety topics to support prevention and preparedness.