From the Nominator

The American School of Guatemala's summer camps, launched by the Student Life department in 2019, were initially well received by students. During the pandemic, the program continued in a virtual format, maintaining engagement with families despite school closures. However, once in-person programming resumed, participation began to stagnate, and demand declined for some camps. Recognizing this shift, we launched a rebranding for the 2025 summer camp program. From a marketing and communications perspective, we identified a key challenge among our primary audience--current and prospective school families. Many parents hesitated to enroll their children because they perceived the camps as too similar to the academic school environment. Our goal was to reposition the camps as a distinct summer experience, clarify their value, and increase enrollment. To better understand this perception gap, we conducted focus groups with parents and students who had participated in the camps. These conversations revealed that parents lacked clear information about camp offerings, camp names were confusing, and communications did not reach families early enough in their summer planning process. In response, we reorganized the program under the Hornet Camps umbrella and developed a clear brand, grouping camps into defined categories with clearer names. We also implemented earlier communications and introduced a camp flag and camper pledge to strengthen the experience. The strategy produced measurable results: Enrollment increased and parent confidence improved, with many campers eager to return.

From the Judges

The panel praised the extraordinary resource management demonstrated here. Executing a comprehensive brand overhaul on a budget of just $3,850 and 20 staff hours is an masterclass in efficiency. It was the consensus that the joint effort between the Communications and Student Life offices was the catalyst for this success.