When did you start working at Bremerton School District?
I started in August of 2018 and am now in my ninth school year.
You wear a lot of hats in your role, from strategic communications to community engagement and social media storytelling. How did you get started in school communications?
I’ve worked in communications and PR my entire career: agency, non-profit, corporate and government. When my daughter started in the Bremerton School District, I saw room to improve how the district communicated with families. I was a member of Rotary with the superintendent at the time, and I offered him what I hoped was helpful feedback and suggestions to improve district communications. I offered to serve on a committee or even help develop a communication plan. Fast forward a few months, the superintendent reached out to me and asked me to apply for the new Communication Director position. I was not looking for a new job – I really loved where I was working at the time. But when I read the job description, it felt like it was written for me – so I applied.
You recently partnered with our team on an ambitious strategic rebranding project. We want to hear more about that.
What inspired Bremerton School District to refresh its brand identity after more than 40 years with the same logo?
Besides the fact that we all hated the old logo? Ha. I’d wanted to update our brand since I started at the District. But I had a lot of communication systems and processes I wanted to establish first, and improving communication with families was my top priority. Then COVID hit, and any thoughts of rebranding went on the back burner. In 2023-24, we developed our District’s first strategic plan, and the culmination of that felt like the right time to update our District branding.
This was a lengthy process involving staff, students, families and community members, and it even won an NSPRA Golden Achievement Award earlier this year!
Bremerton’s original logo
How did you approach gathering input, and what did the collaboration look like among the district staff, students, and our ESD team?
I hired experts! I could not have done this myself. I wouldn’t even have known where or how to start. I’d also worked with branding firms in a previous job and knew that we needed to partner with people who understood education. ESD’s Creative Director, Heidi Barnes, did a deep dive into survey and focus group responses from our strategic plan and a communications audit. We then did some brand-specific focus groups and surveys. We shared this information with our high school graphic design teacher, who had students break into groups, conduct their own research, and develop logo concepts as a class assignment. We shared those concepts with the ESD team as inspiration for the final design.
A rebrand involves much more than introducing a new logo. How have you worked to implement the new identity across the district, and what tools or resources are helping staff use it consistently?
It is still a work in progress. The feedback from families, staff and the community has been overwhelmingly positive, but change is hard and takes time (and patience!). A new district brand also means new templates, brand guidelines, signage, etc. I launched a new Communication Hub for staff for all things communications, but getting staff to consistently use the updated tools and templates takes time (and lots of friendly reminders!).
Updating physical signage is expensive, so we are doing it over time and several budget cycles. I am very excited that our Central Office is getting a fresh paint job that complements the new signage that beautifully displays our new logo.
In partnership with the ESD team, I am also working on an audit of our school logos and brands across the district, and we’ll be developing Canva brand kits and brand guidelines for all schools over the next year. And we’ve just launched a school rebranding process for our alternative high school, which is really exciting!
Before and after (mockup) of the district office monument sign.
How do you make space for creative projects while managing everything else that comes with your role?
I do my best creative thinking at night when I should be sleeping (sad but true!). This is a tough one, and I struggle to juggle everything while managing my own high expectations for myself and my work. Some days, it can be challenging to focus on my priorities because it is so easy to get bogged down in all of the little stuff – especially as a department of one. It is also challenging being a “jack of all trades,” which is one of many reasons I’m so thankful for my partners at ESD.
The best way for me to “fill my tank” and find inspiration is to visit our schools. It keeps me focused on my “why.” I love learning about things happening in our schools and always end up with a long list of great stories to share! My theme for our District’s Spotlight (storytelling) initiative is “Let’s celebrate our students, staff and schools every day!” but I emphasize that it doesn’t have to be “headline news” or a big award to be a story worth sharing and celebrating! It can be as “everyday” as a hands-on science project or photos of kindergarten students reading with a volunteer.
You certainly keep busy at work. What are your favorite ways to unplug and decompress?
Spending time with my family. Nothing brings me more joy than time with my kids (a senior and a sophomore) who, thankfully, still like to hang out with mom and dad!
