Schools

Mehlville School District Unveils New Logo, Tagline

The work was done pro bono from district professionals, saving thousands of dollars.

Following nearly two years of research and discussion with community members, business leaders, parents and staff, the , in conjunction with its volunteer established in 2008, is introducing a new logo and tagline for the district. The project, which could have cost as much as $400,000, was completed free of charge, thanks to the donation of time and professional design services from several district parents and residents.

Tammy Stankey, CAT member and senior communications liaison for The Doe Run Company, graduated from Mehlville High School and currently lives in Oakville.

“I saw that they had put out a request for people to participate in this and I was pleased to be among the people selected,” she said. “We have a very strong team who have dedicated a lot of time in the last three years for this effort. To see that people are volunteering to do this with such commitment and professionalism and it’s not costing the district anything really makes me proud to be a part of the group.”

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The CAT committee is made up of marketing and communications professionals that are Mehlville School District parents and residents. Collectively, the team has experience in marketing research, public affairs, communications and media relations in St. Louis’ public and private sectors. The entire project—research, analysis, brand development and design specifications—was completed at no cost.

To establish an organizational identity that more accurately reflects the school district’s mission and core values, the team undertook an extensive research process, which included focus groups and surveys. Data collected from stakeholders provided insights to the district’s key strengths and defining characteristics.  

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“It was important to clearly understand what the community values about the district,” Stankey said. “We heard loud and clear that the district meets the needs of individual students as well as the student body at-large through the commitment of its staff and programs. Mehlville residents are proud of their district and this new identity reflects that pride and the connection to the local community.”

Research indicated the district’s current organizational identity, including its logo and tagline, does not fully capture these qualities and its goals and vision for the future, Stankey said. Various adaptations of district logos dating back to the 1990s primarily have featured a group of young children holding hands. Respondents said this image does not represent the full scope of the K-12 population and wide-ranging programs.

“When we looked at the community and district’s core values it became obviously to us that the existing logo did not represent that,” Stankey said. “The next step was to get permission from the board to update the brand to support the core values of the district.”

The new logo, designed by graphic designers and district parents Terry Barry and Andy Dyer, incorporates the district’s three guiding principles: Institutional Excellence, Fiscal Responsibility and Community Benefit.

The encircled “M” represents community and the individual focus, while the two supporting arcs represent the district’s outreach to the community and its commitment to the various publics it serves (students, parents, staff, residents and businesses).

Each of the 19 school logos are similar in style to the overall logo, but includes the school name and colors and prominently features the school mascot in place of the encircled "M."

“We wanted the schools to still be consistent with their colors and their mascot and provide a unified look for the district as a whole,” Stankey said.

The district’s new tagline is, "Individually Focused. Committed to All." To unify the 19 schools and programs, each school logo dons the tagline, “Proud Member of the Mehlville School District.”

Stankey said the CAT worked a long time on time on choosing just the right words for the tagline, knowing that that the team wanted it to be memorable and short, while meeting the individual needs of students with more than 51 different languages represented in the district.

To eliminate any potential expenditures, district schools and departments first will use all existing stock, including letterhead, envelopes and business cards, before purchasing materials with the updated logos. All electronic forms of the district logo will be replaced immediately at no expense. Individual school logos will be launched throughout the summer.


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