Photo courtesy Orchard House Middle School
An all-girls private school has a new name and a refined vision for its 25th anniversary.
In adding “middle” to its name, Orchard House Middle School is “trying to tell our story in a [clearer] way and emphasize that we meet the evolving needs of middle school girls,” Head of School Laura Haskins says. As part of its strategic plan, the school is also focusing on improving its marketing and diversifying its student body, which is composed of Richmond-area girls in grades five through eight.
“Our mission has really not changed over the last 25 years — it’s to educate and inspire [girls] in a community that responds to their needs,” Haskins says. “The world has changed a lot in the last 25 years, so we have adapted our programming to make sure that we’re responding to the needs as they evolve, so we do social media awareness, and we have coding programs and [science and technology] and a lot of focus on well-being.”
The rebranding began last summer, and the most visible changes — the name and a new website and logo — launched Aug. 1. The process involved current and past parents, alumnae, board members, and faculty and staff members, as well as work from the advertising agency Evergib and the design studio Campfire & Co., both based in Richmond. “For the girls this year,” Haskins says, “we really are focusing on celebrating the creativity, the vision of our founding women and really thinking about women’s accomplishments, too.”
“Even in our logo,” Haskins adds, regarding the philosophy behind the rebranding, “we really talked a lot about the journey of middle school and how it’s different for each girl and how it ebbs and flows ... so the rebrand helps us get [clearer] on our essential truths.”
