The American Community School Beirut

What was the reason for redesigning the ACS website?

In the nearly eight years since the last redesign, the website had grown old and no longer captured our school's uniqueness and “spirit.” Although it was excellent when first launched, advancements in web development and the evolving strategies schools use for website marketing necessitated significant updates. Moreover, we wanted to identify and highlight particular themes and messaging strands that more clearly defined the unique aspects of an ACS education, and to carry these through the entire website. We knew we also needed to limit educational jargon to be able to simplify and clarify the text.

For instance, content meant for students, families, and teachers was intermixed with general information about the school.  We needed fresh photos that better captured the spirit and mission of ACS, and we couldn’t utilize the Resources module to display our videos on the old site.

What were the goals of your new website, and why were those important to your community?

ACS is a small school in size; our main assets are intangible rather than things families can see and touch. Our new website needed to showcase our long history and connection to Lebanon, unique American-style pedagogy and educational philosophy, small class sizes, and tight-knit community. We wanted the website to reflect this specialness clearly, consistently, and powerfully. 

The second goal was an organizational one. We wanted to differentiate between two groups of users: prospective community members and existing community members, so we could hone in on our messaging. We did this by separating the website into a public side with forward-facing public information and a private side, with a password-protected portal. This approach keeps the website orderly and allows our messaging to be at the forefront while still catering to the needs of our existing community.

For prospective community members, like students, families, and others interested in applying or working at ACS, the website is a means of getting to know and love ACS. For existing community members, it offers simple and unified access to password-protected resources and links they frequently use. 

Lastly, we wanted less verbiage and more real evidence in the form of testimonials, stories, and examples of how we put our beliefs into practice.

How did you prepare and gather content for the site?

Gathering content was a long, interactive, and dynamic process, but the goal was simple—to identify common themes that ran throughout our school. We sent questionnaires and interviewed division heads multiple times, sat in on classes, and talked to teachers, staff, students, families, and alumni. 

This was an excellent learning process for everyone because it forced us all really to think about what we do and why we do it. 

After a few months, three themes (or “credos,” as we call them) emerged, and we structured our website around these themes. We kept asking ourselves, ‘Is the website content supporting our three credos? Is it demonstrating how we use these principles to guide us in everything we do at ACS?’

We needed to show our users that we actually do what we say we do, that our community is really a tight-knit one, and that ACS is as special as we believe it to be. As we refined our copy, we looked at design and vice versa. In our case, pictures really do say a thousand words and photos and videos are a big part of the process.

Which modules of Finalsite's content management system, Composer, do you use the most?

We've leveraged the power of nearly all Finalsite modules to create an interactive and user-friendly website. The diverse range of modules helped create a website that serves as a source of information and a vibrant and interactive platform that strengthens the bonds within our school community.

What has been the response from your community?

The response from our school community to the website redesign has been incredibly positive. Parents have expressed their appreciation for the website's user-friendly design, particularly highlighting the ease of finding important information like school directories, upcoming events, and registration forms. 

Our school’s leadership is proud of the website's ability to showcase the school's unique spirit and core values effectively. They see it as a powerful admissions tool, providing prospective families with a clear understanding of what makes the school special. 

Overall, the redesigned website has fostered a stronger sense of community by providing a central platform for communication, information sharing, and celebration of the achievements of our entire school family.

The whole process was an incredibly valuable self-study, as if we were writing the school’s autobiography. Everyone had to think—and reflect—on what makes us a school and a community. We identified what we do really well and also identified new avenues we want to pursue as a school. In that sense, this process was more than just creating a website; it helped us chart a way forward.