Mr. Vargas thanked everyone for their hard work and is personally looking forward to working with the team to continue the great work of CCS. Mr. Brown mentioned he is happy to serve and learn about how CCS is drawing in new families.

Mr. Lewis shared that every month CCS is celebrating one (1) of our ARTIC core values. This month we celebrated Achievement. Whenever and wherever possible, we have been encouraging scholars, learning coaches and staff alike to reflect on their achievements. Next month we will be focusing on Respect. This year we have been working closely with our StrongMind partners on marketing initiatives, including print, radio and social media. He also shared that StrongMind is creating a plan to create a number of promotional videos. We will be filming scholar and learning coach testimonials, and shooting B-roll, in early November. The goal is to have a number of videos ready for airwaves in early 2018.

Mr. Vargas asked if we use any other marketing sources. Mr. Lewis shared that we used K12 in the past, and now partner with StrongMind. We also have an internal communications and engagement team, under our strategic initiatives umbrella.

Mr. Brown asked if we are tracking where our scholars are hearing about CCS. Mr. Lewis shared that we are tracking that information in our enrollment application, and are starting to use more analytics on our website and other social media campaigns. He also asked what the profile of our scholars was. Mrs. Van Vooren shared insight on some of the profiles: actors, athletes, those needing flexibility. 

Mrs. Mae Van Vooren, Director of Strategic Initiatives, presented the Story of Compass. The presentation went over the mission, vision, and values of CCS, along with information on branding.  The final piece was the actual story of Compass. 

Mr. Brown asked who created the story, and where the information was gathered from. Mrs. Van Vooren shared that the story was created by a small group of staff, using information and feedback from current and previous families. Mr. Brown also asked how the story will be used. Mrs. Van Vooren noted it was meant to be a guide for staff, to understand how we arrived to today and how we are and wish to be seen moving forward.

No public comment.

Mr. Lewis reviewed the committee charge and opened the floor for discussion. This is the first year of operation for the External Relations Committee. Mr. Vargas asked for a better understanding, at the next meeting, of where we have been and where we are going in terms of external relations. He would also like to understand all of the components of external relations at CCS. Mr. Brown is interested in viewing the various analytics.