Linden Waldorf School | Nashville, TN
“Our students are active makers: of words and ideas, of music, of art, of objects, of community. And of the future.”
–PARENT
background
The Waldorf method can seem complex and multilayered, particularly to an “outsider.” As the only Waldorf school in Tennessee, Linden needed to teach prospective families what the term means and what the methodology entails. But more importantly, Linden Waldorf had to signal a values match with prospective families by communicating the kind of academic, intellectual, emotional, and sensory experience that Linden—and only Linden—offers children.
The Linden program frames that value proposition in a way that speaks to families who don’t know Waldorf by demonstrating both the timelessness and timeliness of this type of education. And because this is a school where truth is beauty and beauty is truth, the program’s aesthetics and colors were especially important as we worked to unpack and explain Linden’s approach.
Linden’s philosophy piece brings the school’s experiential teaching and learning approach to life, illustrating how the vital skill of imagination really is in the making—and in the exploring, prototyping, and problem solving. Here, imagination is the vibrant first step toward developing will, finding passion, and honing intellect.
“The outcomes have been amazing. Every month we are adding more students and more people are hearing about us. And we’re benefitting not just from these new relationships, but also from the change in mindset for our whole community that this program introduced.”
–TRICIA DRAKE, HEAD OF SCHOOL
journey symbols
This series of journey symbols was created to illustrate how each grade level represents a key step in a child’s progress. The images encapsulate foundational learnings, activities, and projects of every age and stage in students’ development. Taken as a whole, this timeline of symbols provides a tool for Waldorf educators in articulating and explaining each point in the Linden experience, particularly for the benefit of prospective families.
overview of our partnership
1. DISCOVERY + ANALYSIS
What does it mean to be a Waldorf school? And what does it mean to be Linden Waldorf? We began by engaging these kinds of key questions of identity and purpose with the school’s administrators, faculty, staff, students, parents, and graduates.
2. INSIGHTS + IMPLICATIONS
Our research findings report afforded the Linden community important insights into curriculum and culture, surfaced consensus on mission and values, identified opportunities and challenges, and explored how Linden’s story was being read in the Nashville market.
3. MESSAGING + COMMUNICATIONS
We created a messaging platform that highlights the distinctive approaches of the Waldorf model and conveys the delightful experience of the Linden curriculum—while anchoring it all with impressive academic outcomes, which are immediately appealing even to those with no familiarity with Linden or Waldorf.
4. BRANDING + MARKETING
Our team rolled clear messaging and charming visual elements into branding pieces that give prospective families the information they need to truly understand the curricular structure of this unique school. Perhaps more importantly, the materials we produced for Linden—from the printed intro piece to the school website to the customized artwork designed for display in the school’s spaces—help this warm, engaged community express how it makes children feel about making, exploring, striving, and learning.
5. STRATEGY + SUPPORT
The C+P team offered strategic communications advice, assisted with rollout planning and events, consulted on social media strategy, and created a brand guide that will help the Linden team use the messaging framework for many years to come and in whatever application necessary.
