welcome to our blog

welcome to the alchemy collaborative blog – your go-to resource for transforming school communications and building thriving communities. here, we address the challenges faced by school districts, including disengaged parents, high teacher turnover, and declining student enrollment. our posts provide insights into strategic communication plans, brand development, content creation, and more. whether you’re a school leader, teacher, or parent, you’ll find valuable tips and success stories to help your school district foster collaboration and engage effectively with your community. join us in creating a brighter future for education!


our latest posts

By Brooke Goff August 7, 2025
What does it take to build a school brand that sticks? Spoiler, it’s not just slapping a logo on a wall (though that helps). At Bluegrass Middle School, we’ve seen how intentional branding creates clarity, pride, and consistency for students, staff, and families. In this post, we’re sharing how we partnered with Bluegrass to build a strong brand foundation and bring it to life through everyday touchpoints. If you’ve ever wondered how to actually implement branding in a school, this one’s for you. what does “foundational branding” mean? Before we ever talk about headshots or signage, we start with strategy. Foundational branding is all about defining a school’s visual identity and making sure the basics are in place. For Bluegrass, that meant: finalizing the logo and visual assets creating a design lab to store and share files aligning brand visuals with the school’s mission and culture Once that foundation was set, every decision that followed was easier and more effective. Strong school branding starts with a shared foundation. Without it, nothing sticks. how do you keep branding consistent across a school? We love a good design lab . Think of it as the digital headquarters for all things branded: logos, templates, signage files, social graphics, and more. When staff need a flyer, a badge, or an email signature, it’s all right there. Bluegrass uses their design lab to keep things consistent and accessible. No more outdated logos or mismatched fonts. everyone’s on the same page, literally. what kinds of branding projects actually make an impact? Once the foundation is solid, the fun begins. Through Bluegrass’s alchemy access hours, we’ve supported a range of creative projects like: branding for facilities and physical spaces updated email signatures, refreshed annually branded headshot backdrops professional headshots for staff custom assets for events and campaigns The principal often texts us with an idea, and we make it happen. It’s fast, collaborative, and always on-brand. why does this partnership model work? Because it’s personal. We’ve built a strong relationship with the leadership at Bluegrass, and that trust leads to quick turnarounds, creative problem solving, and consistent results. We’re not just a vendor. We’re a team they can text anytime, and we’ll figure it out. That kind of partnership helps branding feel like a culture, not just a to-do list. want your school branding to work like this? If you’re dreaming of a design lab, a consistent brand, and a creative team that actually gets schools, we’d love to help. Let’s talk about branding for your school.
By Kristen Waits August 7, 2025
What does it take to build a school brand that sticks? Spoiler, it’s not just slapping a logo on a wall (though that helps). At Bluegrass Middle School, we’ve seen how intentional branding creates clarity, pride, and consistency for students, staff, and families. In this post, we’re sharing how we partnered with Bluegrass to build a strong brand foundation and bring it to life through everyday touchpoints. If you’ve ever wondered how to actually implement branding in a school, this one’s for you. what does “foundational branding” mean? Before we ever talk about headshots or signage, we start with strategy. Foundational branding is all about defining a school’s visual identity and making sure the basics are in place. For Bluegrass, that meant: finalizing the logo and visual assets creating a design lab to store and share files aligning brand visuals with the school’s mission and culture Once that foundation was set, every decision that followed was easier and more effective. Strong school branding starts with a shared foundation. Without it, nothing sticks. how do you keep branding consistent across a school? We love a good design lab . Think of it as the digital headquarters for all things branded: logos, templates, signage files, social graphics, and more. When staff need a flyer, a badge, or an email signature, it’s all right there. Bluegrass uses their design lab to keep things consistent and accessible. No more outdated logos or mismatched fonts. everyone’s on the same page, literally. what kinds of branding projects actually make an impact? Once the foundation is solid, the fun begins. Through Bluegrass’s alchemy access hours, we’ve supported a range of creative projects like: branding for facilities and physical spaces updated email signatures, refreshed annually branded headshot backdrops professional headshots for staff custom assets for events and campaigns The principal often texts us with an idea, and we make it happen. It’s fast, collaborative, and always on-brand. why does this partnership model work? Because it’s personal. We’ve built a strong relationship with the leadership at Bluegrass, and that trust leads to quick turnarounds, creative problem solving, and consistent results. We’re not just a vendor. We’re a team they can text anytime, and we’ll figure it out. That kind of partnership helps branding feel like a culture, not just a to-do list. want your school branding to work like this? If you’re dreaming of a design lab, a consistent brand, and a creative team that actually gets schools, we’d love to help. Let’s talk about branding for your school.
By Brooke Goff August 4, 2025
Uncertainty in schools isn’t going anywhere, but silence or sterile updates can make confusion grow faster than a kindergarten line in the hallway. At Alchemy, we believe moments of change are the perfect chance to build trust, not lose it. Inspired by The Learning Accelerator’s piece on scaling through storytelling, we’re here to show you how clear, human-centered stories can bring families and staff closer... even when plans shift overnight. why your community needs more than bullet points Families don’t just want to know what is changing. They want to know why it matters for their kids. Teachers want to see themselves reflected in the story. And everyone needs communication that feels like it came from a neighbor, not a PR robot. At Alchemy, we help district leaders: ✔️ Lead with heart by putting students and staff at the center of every message ✔️ Translate chaos into clarity so updates build confidence instead of confusion ✔️ Build storytelling systems because trust comes from consistent, on-brand communication... not one-off announcements stories are powerful, but systems make them sustainable We’ve seen too many schools pour energy into one great story, then let it fade into the ether. Our approach helps you create repeatable systems so your stories keep flowing, your brand stays strong, and your community feels seen even when times are tough. want to get started? Ready to build a storytelling system your district can count on?  Schedule a discovery call with Team Alchemy today.
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