Stamford Endowed Schools has launched a new magazine for alumni and parents, aiming to use the “close-knit community” around the schools to inspire current pupils.
The project was led by alumni relations manager, Sarah Mahoney, who brought in SMC Creative to bring her idea to life.
“Many former pupils choose to send their children to Stamford, some continue to teach here, some are former parents, governors, local business holders,” said Mahoney. “We’ve been working on a magazine that reflects these diverse and multi-faceted relationships. It’s a magazine that looks forward and gives inspiration.
“We wanted to publish something that would ultimately stand the test of time: there’s very much a resurgence in intellectual, long-read publications, and we felt the new ‘Stamford’ should be a magazine that alumni and parents would cherish and keep.”
“Our alumni activities are hugely important due to our close-knit community,” she added. “Alumni of the schools are a diverse group of men and women who collectively represent the breadth and strength of our curriculum, as well as our history and socially inclusive culture. Many of our alumni come back to Stamford to live, especially when they have families.
“We see many parents choose Stamford as their school of choice because of the strong relationship they have with us. As both day and boarding schools, we also have a strong history with alumni further afield, and our globalism theme, in this issue, reflects that.”
Steve Moody, creative director at SMC Creative, said: “We are a creative marketing agency, but with a background in magazine publishing, and helping to come up with the new magazine – then edit long-read pieces, and team them with high quality design and photography that reflected the values of the schools – was an incredibly rewarding process.
“The alumni featured are there not because they are famous, but because they have interesting stories to tell – they add something to the narrative of the schools’ history and will inspire the next generation.
“It is also a great marketing tool. There’s a place for digital when it comes to engaging with specific groups of people, but high-quality coffee table-type magazines like this have a special, more emotional quality: parents and alumni will keep it and this will help spread the word about Stamford Endowed Schools.”
From the archive: Gabbitas Education’s Rachel Lewis on working with your alumni
