Introduction: Students as Key Contributors in Marketing
At Brehm Preparatory School, we believe in empowering our students by providing them with hands-on experiences that go beyond the classroom. One of the ways we achieve this is by involving our students in the school's marketing efforts through their art and PACT classes. This approach not only helps our marketing team but also equips our students with valuable skills and experiences.
Students as Key Contributors
Our students often take on various roles in marketing, including:
- Photographers: Capturing the essence of school events, daily activities, and special moments.
- Actors and Actresses: Participating in video projects and promotional materials.
- Stagehands: Assisting in setting up and managing school events and productions.
- Videographers: Filming and editing videos that showcase our school's vibrant community.
Classroom Contributions
Through their classes, students regularly produce ready-made content that we can use for marketing purposes. This includes art projects that highlight their talents and PACT class projects involving real-world marketing tasks, such as creating posters, videos, and social media content.
Finished Art Work Fridays
One unique way we showcase our students' creativity is through "Finished Art Work Fridays." The artwork created in PACT and art classes becomes content for these weekly features. With supervision and guidance, our marketing interns use bulk create functions to develop a consistent template for these posts. They utilize Meta Business Suite to schedule the posts and employ AI to create engaging captions that are free from spelling errors.
Casey's Grant and Its Impact
A significant boost to our program came from a generous grant from Casey's, which allowed us to provide all our students with the same high-quality cameras. This grant has made instruction and photography extremely convenient, ensuring that all students have access to the same tools and can learn effectively without disparities.
Yearbook Creation
One of the most impressive showcases of our students' marketing involvement is the creation of our annual yearbook. From start to finish, the yearbook is a student-driven project involving photography, layout design, text content creation, and the entire production process. The yearbook serves as a testament to our students' capabilities and the vibrant community at Brehm.
Favorite Campus and Off-Campus Spots Series
To showcase both our area and campus, we initiated a series featuring students' favorite on-campus and off-campus spots. Students used a Google form to submit their answers, and those who opted to participate became part of the content creation process. This initiative was part of our Stellar Bears Awards program, where students could take on various jobs, including social media talent.
Overcoming Challenges and Preparing for the Future
While we produced a few videos for the Favorite Spots series, participation consistency was challenging later in the year. However, we now have a solid framework in place for next year to ensure more consistent involvement from our students.
Empowering Our Students and Community
By involving students in our marketing efforts, we provide them with invaluable real-world experience and a sense of ownership and pride in their work. This approach enhances our marketing materials and fosters a collaborative and creative environment that benefits the entire school community. At Brehm Preparatory School, we are proud to empower our students to be active participants in shaping how our school is perceived and celebrated.