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Challenge

Several years ago, a committed group of St. Louisans decided to start a charter school in the City of St. Louis named Confluence Academy that would focus on math, science, reading and technology. Even though its research-based curriculum had proven successful in other cities across the country, Confluence Academy was faced with the challenge of recruiting students. With less than a month before the school was to open on August 25, 2003, Confluence officials contacted Vector Communications. It needed help recruiting 250 students for kindergarten through third grade.

Action

Vector Communications created a recruitment campaign that not only involved advertising and media relations, but also public engagement strategies. Confluence’s first campus opened in the Old North St. Louis neighborhood. Vector scheduled one-on-one meetings with key stakeholders and influencers in this neighborhood to introduce them to the new principal and to educate them about Confluence’s mission. In addition, Vector planned and executed an open house and enrollment fair that included a school tour, a teacher meet and greet, free blood pressure screenings, a petting zoo, clown and a live radio broadcast from the campus. These person-to-person direct strategies were complimented with a door-to-door maildrop in surrounding neighborhoods announcing the new school and its principal, newspaper, radio and television advertising and media relations. Vector still partners with Confluence Academy each year to meet its recruitment goals.

Result

Confluence Academy is now the largest public charter school system in the City of St. Louis serving nearly 3,000 students in kindergarten through ninth grade at three campuses, Old North St. Louis, Walnut Park and South City. This fall, it opened a high school, Confluence Preparatory Academy. As the St. Louis Post-Dispatch said in an article this past spring, Confluence Academy “does it right.” The St. Louis Beacon wrote “Confluence is one of the best run, if not the best run charter school system in St. Louis.