The idea of rebranding Arete has bedeviled me for the last couple of years because the Arete concept, while great, does not resonate with people. When you have to teach them how to say it and what it means, that is two steps too many. John Ernst of Kinnektor asked me, what is your program about? Who are your people? Capture your program in one sentence. After giving him a paragraph, I realized that we are trying to be all things. We want our message to resonate with people who are dissatisfied with current school structure, and who want to use their learning to make a difference, and who want to be contributors, and who want to do advanced work and who are creative, and who work hard and who want to do hands on learning and who want to solve problems and who want to get things done. We want our program name to effortlessly connect with middle schoolers, their parents, and community members without explanation, but in a way that communicates who we are and what we are about.
Ernst gave the example of Jeep. When one sees a person in a Jeep (the CJ-5, Wrangler, doors-off type), immediately a concept of who the person is and what they are into leaps to mind. The same thing is the case with a Suburu or a Prius. They don't haul lumber or pull a boat. Generally, they are not what a wedding party will ride in, but people who see them know what they are for because, as Seth Godin may say, "People like them drive things like that." Steve Sims, author of Bluefishing: The Art of Getting Things Done writes prestige brands "set out from the very beginning to create an experience for someone" (Sims 125). What is the experience we create, or are aiming to create in Arete?
What would our students say when completing the sentence "I'm the kind of person who..." They may say (or mean): gets things done, invests in themselves, believes in themselves, wants to change the world, wants to help people, wants to do hands on learning, makes connections in the community, revolts, is contrary, is different, is advanced, makes my learning matter, learns my passions, uses my skills, learns new skills, etc. Which of these things is it our intent for them to respond?
Ernst gave the example of Jeep. When one sees a person in a Jeep (the CJ-5, Wrangler, doors-off type), immediately a concept of who the person is and what they are into leaps to mind. The same thing is the case with a Suburu or a Prius. They don't haul lumber or pull a boat. Generally, they are not what a wedding party will ride in, but people who see them know what they are for because, as Seth Godin may say, "People like them drive things like that." Steve Sims, author of Bluefishing: The Art of Getting Things Done writes prestige brands "set out from the very beginning to create an experience for someone" (Sims 125). What is the experience we create, or are aiming to create in Arete?
What would our students say when completing the sentence "I'm the kind of person who..." They may say (or mean): gets things done, invests in themselves, believes in themselves, wants to change the world, wants to help people, wants to do hands on learning, makes connections in the community, revolts, is contrary, is different, is advanced, makes my learning matter, learns my passions, uses my skills, learns new skills, etc. Which of these things is it our intent for them to respond?
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