Inspire Unconventional & Institutional Audiences—at the Same Time
John Muir Charter Schools
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overview
Tell the Story Few Will. Move an Audience Few Reach.
The 16- to 26-year-old students John Muir Charter Schools (JMCS) targets have left (or have been excluded by) conventional school systems. Reaching these students requires storytelling that breaks through deeply entrenched assumptions. The Friday team worked with JMCS to develop a brand that amplifies JMCS students’ strengths rather than all too common deficit-based narratives.
challenge
JMCS needed a brand and recruitment strategy that both students failed by traditional systems and the institutional partners within those systems would trust. The messaging had to affirm learners navigating nontraditional paths without alienating educators, probation officers, and referral partners who operate inside conventional structures.
insight
The breakthrough wasn’t simply affirming that all students have value. It was reframing the characteristics that hadn’t worked in conventional schools as strengths at JMCS. By reframing unconventional journeys this way, prospective JMCS students could see their pasts as evidence of persistence, adaptability, and wisdom. The brand needed to communicate a “because of and in spite of” narrative and position past barriers as context for growth, not proof of limitation.
solution
Friday built a refreshed brand and digital experience that centers student dignity while maintaining institutional credibility. We anchored messaging in asset-based language, eliminated deficit framing, and created clear audience pathways for students, families, and partners. The website architecture allows each group to find what matters to them—program details, referral processes, graduation requirements—without segmenting the story or softening JMCS’s bold stance on belonging.
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“Working with the team at Friday was an amazing experience. They walked us through each stage of our marketing plan from planning to mission and vision refinement, to being sure our words and images truly reflected the paths and experiences of our students. The Friday team helped us to better understand our own mission and vision in a way that allows us to truly present ourselves not only to the public but to our staff, partners, colleagues, and most importantly, our students. I cannot recommend the Friday team enough.”
R.J. Guess
CEO, John Muir Charter Schools
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