Lee County Education Foundation – The Head of Class Project
A project for change in education
The Foundation launched an innovative, incentive-based achievement program to reward local schools for academic excellence.
If you had one million dollars would you want to give it away? Well, the Lee Country Education Foundation (LCEF) did. LCEF is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting excellence in Lee County public schools. The Foundation launched an innovative, incentive-based achievement program to reward local schools for academic excellence. LCEF selected Kelly MarCom to name the initiative, design the logo and manage the public media event.
Kelly MarCom understood that the program name needed to satisfy many criteria including: conveying the mission, articulating value to schools and the community, as well as engaging donors who would provide continued funding. At the same time, we knew the name needed universal appeal to eventually extend beyond its Lee County origins. To satisfy these objectives, Kelly MarCom penned: “The Head of Class Project: Achieving academic goals, enhancing student performance.” Supporting the name and the initiative, we designed a logo and visual identity, press kits, promotional banners, event signage and attendee giveaways.
The press event achieved wide exposure for The Head of Class Project across various marketing channels including broadcast, print and online media. Kelly MarCom’s media relations efforts resulted in three local news affiliates of major network stations – NBC-17, CBS 5-WRAL and ABC 11-WTVD – attending the high-profile press conference, with each covering a different angle of the story throughout several news cycles. The success of this media coverage resulted in a planned follow-up presentation to regional media, showcasing the success of the school initiative.
The Associated Press ran the story and media outlets further extended it across the state. The online story covering the launch of the program on WRAL.com (the region’s most popular news site) sparked comment and debate among readers. The extensive media coverage has generated sustained public/private interest and endorsement of the initiative. Further, this initiative is now considered a model for launching similar programs across the country.
