Beaverton Schools rebrand signals time for change

For Beaverton Schools, dropping “Rural” from its name last fall was a small but necessary modification. One reason the change made sense was coordination with the city of Beaverton’s Rising Tide Initiative, which worked to create a community-wide branding effort, according to Superintendent Joseph Passalacqua.

“The Rising Tide Initiative was a huge project that did a lot in terms of commonality and rebranding,” Passalacqua said. “You’re dealing with similar fonts and signage throughout the city. The name change came out of discussions from the Rising Tide.”

The name change was not only important for branding purposes, but it was also something the community had wanted to see happen.

“A lot of folks had made themselves vocal – they were very adamant about dropping [Rural],” Passalacqua said. “Probably 20 people specifically voiced consideration of dropping the word ‘Rural.’”

The name change is something that had been in the works for a while, due to negative connotations some feel the word “rural” can have.

“Even in my prior stint here for fourteen years, there was talk of dropping ‘rural’ because it gives the moniker that stigma,” Passalacqua said. “It can give off a negative stereotype.”

Passalacqua also noted that the cost associated with the change is negligible.

“Costs will be minimal because all of our letterhead, our documents, we can easily manipulate and change,” he said. “The main sign on M-18 ends up costing about $2,000. But all of the notifications to the IRS, to the state of Michigan, was just our time and effort.”

Passalacqua shared an interaction he had with a Beaverton citizen who was initially opposed to the idea in the name of tradition.

“There was one individual [who was not positive],” Passalacqua said. “I brought up the fact that in the 1940s, we were Beaverton Agricultural Rural Schools, but then they dropped ‘Agricultural.’ He said, ‘Oh, I wasn’t aware of that.’”

The final decision was based in part on a desire to stand out from other school districts.

“We chose to keep us separate and apart from others and not go to Beaverton Community Schools, Beaverton Public Schools or Beaverton Area Schools,” Passalacqua said. “We said, ‘Let’s just be called Beaverton Schools – let’s be unique.’”

The reaction to the change by students, staff and community has been overwhelmingly favorable, according to Passalacqua.

“Everything was extremely positive,” Passalacqua said. “There were many community members who were glad to see us change and evolve.”