Winter concerts, end-of-year giving, festive celebrations…The holiday season can be a whirlwind of activity, and tackling a website launch during all the merriment might seem like a recipe for stress.

But despite a packed calendar and looming deadlines, many schools successfully launched stunning new websites with Finalsite, capturing their spirit and supporting their goals for attracting prospective families, finding new donors, and engaging stakeholders.

As a new year begins, let's take a moment to celebrate the site design, user experiences, and content of these recently launched websites.

Cardinal Spellman High School

Cardinal Spellman High School, a co-ed college prep school serving students from 50 towns across the South Shore of Boston, recently launched its beautifully branded site. It's full of new features and a modern design that’s positioned the school to tell its story well and engage prospective families, especially in a competitive market like Boston—there are, by some counts, more than 130 private high schools in the Boston area!

Spellman's homepage uses a long, smooth scrolling experience to present a wealth of information in an easily digestible format. As visitors scroll, they’ll find:

• Visually engaging elements: Custom image buttons, full-width panels with subtle textures, and parallax design create a dynamic and modern look.
   
• Compelling CTAs (calls to action): Clear CTAs encourage visitors to take the next step, whether it's making a donation or requesting admissions information. The homepage has a great CTA at the end, asking, “What are you waiting for? Your experience starts today.”
   
• A focus on the student experience: Spellman's site does a great job at highlighting the school's commitment to a well-rounded education, showcasing academics, athletics, and community involvement as key differentiators and its community life pages.

Going further beyond the homepage, the site offers:

• Targeted content: Dedicated sections for students and parents provide easy access to relevant resources like how to make a payment, information about transportation, the health office, ways for parents to volunteer, and student and handbook school policies.
   
• Streamlined navigation: Improved menus and organization make it simple for visitors to find what they need quickly.
   
• Mobile-friendly forms: Finalsite Forms make submitting a donation or inquiring for more admissions information easy through a branded, embedded form.
   
• Integrated news and events: Finalsite's news and calendar features keep the community informed and engaged, and content tagged through Finalsite Posts can pull relevant updates and announcements to specific landing pages, such as athletic news or general stories throughout the school.
   
• Furthermore, by partnering with Finalsite’s strategic brand and marketing team, Spellman elevated its brand messaging and web design to make the most impact. Congrats on the launch!

Dexter Southfield

Dexter Southfield, an independent PreK-12 school outside of Boston, has launched a new website that captures the school's spirit and comprehensive offerings that work toward its messages of “Our Best Today, Better Tomorrow.” 

It all starts with a welcoming and dynamic montage highlighting campus life and showcasing the school's core values: academics, character development, community, and diverse experiences. From there:

• A "By the Numbers" section uses a slideshow to present key facts about academics, extracurricular activities, and student life, while video testimonials from students, faculty, and parents provide authentic perspectives on the Dexter Southfield experience.
   
• The site's design incorporates subtle branding elements, such as rounded images that echo the curves of the school's shield and a consistent color palette of red, blue, and white. Navigation is intuitive, with menus guiding visitors to information about academics, admissions, community life, and opportunities to support Dexter.
   
• Summer at Dexter looks like so much fun! A dedicated section for its various camps extends the school's brand and provides detailed information about various summer programs, including sports, music, and traditional day camps. They all look great, and mobile-friendly content blocks keep info organized and ensure a seamless user experience across devices.
   
• Dexter’s new site also includes an interactive map that allows visitors to explore academic buildings and athletic fields virtually—a convenient option for those unable to visit the campus in person or are just interested in a closer look.

St. Pius X Catholic High School

St. Pius X Catholic High School, a pioneering school in the Atlanta Diocese (and Georgia’s first Catholic co-ed secondary school), is now live with its new site, one that beautifully reflects its commitment to faith, family, and future.

Design-wise, the site's homepage immediately engages visitors with animated image buttons that skew and invite users in for a closer look. 

• Content blocks are thoughtfully designed, incorporating branded colors and subtle textures to create an engaging user experience.
   
• Animated fast facts highlight key achievements, like the school's 100% college acceptance rate and range of clubs and organizations.
   
• A robust news section powered by Finalsite Posts keeps the community informed and engaged. News items are tagged by topic, allowing visitors to easily find stories related to fine arts, alumni, athletics, and more.
   
• The site also provides dedicated sections for faculty/staff and current families, offering quick access to essential resources, including system logins, handbooks, and parent organization information.

St. Pius X effectively uses its secondary colors for consistent branding throughout the site, which is well-structured, intuitive, and simple for visitors to find information about campus life, faith, admissions, and more! Well done!

Orange Lutheran High School

Orange Lutheran High School in California has a website packed with information, but it's easy to find your way around with organized layouts featuring structured columns, accordion folders that open up new information, and tabs to switch between sections.

• The new site features some interesting design features, like a video hero area that blends into a textured design flair or the school's seal that’s watermarked as a background element.
   
• The homepage is a nice blend of testimonials from administrators, students, and alumni, supported by informational sections on its mission beyond the classroom, as well as the performing and visual arts, athletics, and music programs. Also, a two-column element brings in the latest Instagram posts along with upcoming events.
   
• Scroll further, and you’ll find "OLU By the Numbers," which shares interesting facts about the school, like how many honors and AP classes they offer and its average class size.
   
• Then there's an effective grouping of CTAs to inquire, apply now, or take a tour, all linking to Finalsite Enrollment, where families can request more information, inquire, and sign up for a tour of the school. Finalsite Enrollment helps streamline that process and personalize the admissions experience because users can select more information they'd like to learn more about, allowing the admissions office to begin its personalized communications.
   
• Families can also book a tour to visit campus and select from a long list of convenient times that work for their schedule. They can also easily sign up for a tour or a shadow day to get an even more in-depth experience.
   
• Also, within the admissions section, there are a lot of helpful resources for new families joining the school, like information on college and counseling programs, the student handbook, and the curriculum guide, once again, organized neatly by panels.
   
• And if you're a sports fan, check out the media and news section. You might be surprised to see how many notable alumni you recognize from Team USA, the Phillies, the White Sox, and even the Yankees.

Newark Academy

Newark Academy, a private, co-ed day school for grades 6-12 in New Jersey, just launched a fantastic new website highlighting how they help students explore their passions.

A powerful collection of features tells the story of the Newark experience that's “powered by relationships.” Full-width design cards showcase animated bursts of color, and custom image slideshows, stylized tabs, buttons, and accordions bring to life an experience driven by connections with faculty and the interests of the students.

The site also features the latest happenings with a social media integration with Instagram and news stories about the school. Users who speak another language can easily switch the website to Spanish, Chinese, French, or other languages with one-click translation from Weglot.

Its summer program is worth exploring, too, with information about academic courses, baseball camps, jazz camps, and many of its featured programs, along with quick facts and a chance to meet the administrative team. 

Take a closer look at some of these custom enhancements:

• Full-width panels on the bottom and side of the How We Learn page
• A Day in the Life element and stylized tabs on the arts page
• Full-width images can be found on the athletics page, along with image buttons, like those on the teams' pages
• And don't miss the custom image slideshow, found on its sustainability page and a great timeline featured on its history and mission page.

Lake Forest Academy

Lake Forest Academy, a top-ranked boarding school in Illinois, has an impressive new site that opens with a video showcasing the school's welcoming atmosphere and global perspective. Visitors immediately feel invited to learn more about what makes Lake Forest Academy so special. Here are some highlights:

• The homepage features a slideshow in which monochrome images come to life in full color as you explore the school's program highlights, such as student travel, service learning, and leadership opportunities. You can also catch up on the latest news and see what's happening on social media.
   
• The school's signature orange is used throughout the website, giving it a well-branded and consistent look. The menus are easy to use, even on a smartphone, and everything is organized into clear, intuitive groupings of information.
   
• Whether you're interested in arts, athletics, student life, or college planning, the site has detailed information about each area and more, using colorful blocks of text and helpful icons to make it easy to read, especially on a smaller screen. Plus, there are calendars for arts and athletics so that you can stay up-to-date on specific interests and events. Great site!

Congratulations to Lake Forest Academy and all the other amazing sites that went live with Finalsite this December!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Connor has spent the last decade within the field of marketing and communications, working with independent schools and colleges throughout New England. As Finalsite’s Senior Content Marketing Manager, Connor plans and executes marketing strategies and digital content across the web. A former photojournalist, he has a passion for digital media, storytelling, coffee, and creating content that connects.