Link: Capturing the Spirit of Lead Mine Elementary School

WakeEd Partnership’s Link program partners businesses with educators to create possibilities for students. Already in 2019, nine Wake County public schools have collaborated with 13 area businesses to improve their school communities.

Lead Mine Elementary School joined WakeEd Partnership’s Link program in 2019, hoping that a great business partner could help them better promote their school community. Catherine (Katie) Demcio, Assistant Principal of Lead Mine Elementary School, alongside Principal Aaron Marcin, had been working tirelessly to improve the school since 2015, but recently saw the need for a marketing campaign that would distinguish Lead Mine from other school options in the area. Although they worked on the re-brand internally, they knew they needed outside support to create a brochure that truly captures the spirit of Lead Mine students, teachers, and staff.

Lead Mine Elementary School has four programs for special education, including a dual sensory program that is the first of its kind in North Carolina, and they are one of the few schools in Wake County eliminating gaps in academic achievement among minority students. Lead Mine educators have been involved in other WakeEd programs, but Link provided a new avenue for much-needed marketing support.

Link partners AlphaGraphics and Lifetouch are collaborating to create one-of-a-kind promotional materials for Lead Mine. Lifetouch is ecstatic to provide photography coverage for the school, capturing images of the campus, staff, and students enjoying club activities, events, and their dream playground, which is designed for students with special needs. Perhaps the most exciting images captured by Lifetouch are from “A Day in the Life,” a visual storytelling of an entire day at Lead Mine for a kindergarten student. Ultimately, this project aligns with Lifetouch’s mission to improve school communities, and over the past several months they have become passionate about increasing the visibility of Lead Mine Elementary.

Mark Fandel, Lifetouch Area Sales Manager for more than 15 years, has been involved with WakeEd in a variety of ways, including serving on their Board of Directors and Marketing Advisory Council. For this project, he is enthusiastic because the images Lifetouch captures affirm the good work Lead Mine Elementary does every day, and it’s something they can build on in the future. Katie describes this partnership as a unique opportunity, because she “sees the school every day, but is excited to see it through the eyes of photographers.” 

AlphaGraphics, a local commercial printer and signage shop, is working with Lead Mine and Lifetouch to design a brochure that encapsulates Lead Mine’s mission, achievements, and school culture, which can be distributed to parents of potential students. AlphaGraphics is confident this brochure will successfully tell the Lead Mine story. Chris Andrews, VP of Sales and Marketing, and Co-Owner of AlphaGraphics, was encouraged and inspired by the Link launch event in January, knowing that the schools in attendance would receive the unique support they needed in the coming weeks.

Through this process, “WakeEd Partnership gives schools a voice,” and Chris Andrews has yet to see anything else like the Link program elsewhere. He is confident that any child would have a great experience at Lead Mine Elementary, but not everyone can sit across from a table and talk to the Principal and Assistant Principal about the school like AlphaGraphics has been able to. This brochure, with the captivating images taken from Lifetouch, is a tangible way to get a glimpse of how great life could be as a student, or parent, at Lead Mine Elementary School.

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Photography provided by Lifetouch