Highlander for Life

HPS team,

One of the objectives of the district's strategic plan is to "develop a district-level culture." To this end, we have been working on a branding and messaging strategy to impart a “unified signature” for our organization. The strength of our collective communication is dependent upon a strong, unified identity; a #OneHowell approach.

Are we currently intentional about imparting a unified signature? To answer this question, we must first assess how we represent ourselves to our external stakeholders. The graphics below are just a few examples of how we currently present to the public.

To initiate a more unified identity, we are transitioning to a new logo and motto and updating our mascot. The new logo will utilize the block "H" along with "Howell Public Schools" which can be viewed below.

This means we will be discontinuing the use of other logos (i.e. the seal and various "H" logos) except in unique circumstances (i.e. alumni events).

The Highlander mascot has been and continues to be a point of pride for our community. Currently, the Highlander generates a lot of passion at the high school. Building on this momentum, we want to develop the same type of enthusiasm around the Highlander at the elementary and middle levels. In turn, we will be using the new mascot and motto below to build this foundation with our students and families. We will continue to use both our traditional Highlander mascot (at right) along with the new mascot at the high school. While we are building community and district pride around the Highlander, the elementary and middle schools will continue to enjoy their individual school spirit through the use of their respective mascots.

In order to utilize our new logo, mascot, and motto in a consistent manner, we have developed a style guide to provide clear expectations as we move to a “unified signature.” The style guide provides document templates, official stationery, email signatures, etc. while also addressing the dos and don'ts of logo and design use. We have established a July 1 target date to transition all forms of communication to align to the style guide expectations. In addition, we will also use this transition as an opportunity to fully implement the Google platform (Google docs, slides, sheets, folders, etc.) in the district.

Accordingly, the next steps of this process involves scheduling training with central office staff, all administrators, and office staff at each building. The training sessions will commence on March 6 and full details of the training schedule will be forthcoming. We will distribute the style guide along with additional expectations after these trainings are complete.