Public education has become a widely discussed topic throughout our nation. For some, traditional public schools are fine. For others, however, public schools leave much to be desired - primarily parents who doubt the learning path chosen by these public schools. In many communities, there is an alternative to the traditional public school system. Since 1991, Saratoga Springs has had that alternative in the Saratoga Independent School.
Eighteen years ago this school was formed by a group of parents who
wanted more flexibility and one-on-one attention that they were not
receiving from the public schools. Their goal was simple: create a
school environment where children are guided through the learning
process based on need rather than age. Chartered by the New York State
Board of Regents, The Saratoga Independent School is tuition based. In
its early years, the school was first based out of one room in a church
in Wilton. From there the school moved to a location behind the
current Shoe Depot, where they remained until 2004. In 2004, the school
built a new facility on the Anderson Campus, just off Route 29. This is
a 60 acre parcel which will allow for growth in the future. Growth
seems to be the key here. When the school first opened, it was a
Kindergarten/Primary school. Today, it has grown sufficiently to the
sixth-grade level and there are now plans to expand to the high school
level.
"Our philosophy is simple," Felice Karlitz, Interim Head of School at Saratoga Independent School, said "We have woven together a multi-age education with a theme-based education that differentiates itself from the public school system. Age-based means that all ages are combined based on need, theme based means that the learning process is achieved by making connections in learning."
In order to achieve the growth that they aspire to, along with their desire to maintain this learning process, Saratoga Independent School has decided to create a new image to market itself in the community. The challenge for the school trustees was their lack of expertise in this area. Through a well thought out process, the trustees turned to locally run Palio, Inc., a full spectrum advertising and communications agency. The Saratoga-based agency developed an identity and marketing process for the school. This has helped them to be better equipped to share and communicate with the entire community.
"We knew that our marketing tools were outdated, but didn't have the resources to create new ones," Karlitz said. "Palio has given us a tremendous gift by leading us through the process of identifying our brand, and then designing us a beautiful new logo, brochure, parent kit and other related material. All of this helps in communicating who we are."
"We were happy to help," Bob Mason, executive vice president and managing director of brand strategy at Palio, said. "Just like the school focuses on teaching community responsibility, we at Palio are proud to give back to our community. We had great fun creating the school's new brand identity."
The goal now is to expand the student community.
On Tuesday, March 31 the school held an Open House to display the new logo on the school's sign, clothing, letterhead and more.
"We are very excited," Kimberly Harbour, school trustee, said. "Our school provides a learning environment that stresses personal growth. We empower children to reach out and explore and provide them with the skills they need to succeed. We believe that this will make them confident leaders capable of critical thinking, problem solving and teamwork. They are instilled with the values of leadership and respect, as well as the importance of community service. We can't say enough about how Palio helped us to create a new brand and to get this message out to the public."
For more information, contact Felice Karlitz at felice@sis.org or Kimberly Harbour at kharbour@harbourmedia.com. Phone calls may be made to (518) 727-2622 or visit them on the web at www.siskids.org.
"Our philosophy is simple," Felice Karlitz, Interim Head of School at Saratoga Independent School, said "We have woven together a multi-age education with a theme-based education that differentiates itself from the public school system. Age-based means that all ages are combined based on need, theme based means that the learning process is achieved by making connections in learning."
In order to achieve the growth that they aspire to, along with their desire to maintain this learning process, Saratoga Independent School has decided to create a new image to market itself in the community. The challenge for the school trustees was their lack of expertise in this area. Through a well thought out process, the trustees turned to locally run Palio, Inc., a full spectrum advertising and communications agency. The Saratoga-based agency developed an identity and marketing process for the school. This has helped them to be better equipped to share and communicate with the entire community.
"We knew that our marketing tools were outdated, but didn't have the resources to create new ones," Karlitz said. "Palio has given us a tremendous gift by leading us through the process of identifying our brand, and then designing us a beautiful new logo, brochure, parent kit and other related material. All of this helps in communicating who we are."
"We were happy to help," Bob Mason, executive vice president and managing director of brand strategy at Palio, said. "Just like the school focuses on teaching community responsibility, we at Palio are proud to give back to our community. We had great fun creating the school's new brand identity."
The goal now is to expand the student community.
On Tuesday, March 31 the school held an Open House to display the new logo on the school's sign, clothing, letterhead and more.
"We are very excited," Kimberly Harbour, school trustee, said. "Our school provides a learning environment that stresses personal growth. We empower children to reach out and explore and provide them with the skills they need to succeed. We believe that this will make them confident leaders capable of critical thinking, problem solving and teamwork. They are instilled with the values of leadership and respect, as well as the importance of community service. We can't say enough about how Palio helped us to create a new brand and to get this message out to the public."
For more information, contact Felice Karlitz at felice@sis.org or Kimberly Harbour at kharbour@harbourmedia.com. Phone calls may be made to (518) 727-2622 or visit them on the web at www.siskids.org.
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