When Superintendent Travis Hamby of Allen County, KY, said his goal was to “make new mistakes,” he wasn’t talking about being careless. He was talking about being courageous; wiping the slate clean instead of tinkering with old systems. His vision pushes schools beyond test scores, toward real-world competencies, passions, and community connections.

And that same thinking applies to how we communicate.

The way schools used to communicate isn’t enough anymore. A flyer in a backpack, a static website, or a last-minute phone call can’t carry the weight of a district’s mission. Just as learning must shift, so must the way we tell the story.

the gap between vision and visibility

We’ve seen leaders like Hamby launch powerful visions: graduate profiles, project-based learning, partnerships with local businesses. But unless those ideas are communicated clearly, families still default to test scores, and communities miss how schools are fueling growth.

What’s missing isn’t effort; it’s strategy. Old communication habits don’t show the bold new work happening in classrooms.

where alchemy comes in

At alchemy collaborative, we believe communication deserves its own version of “new mistakes.” That means:

• Showing the bigger picture: Making sure bold ideas are visible in every channel, not buried in a PDF.
• Connecting the dots: Translating educational shifts into stories parents and partners understand.
• Equipping storytellers: Helping staff, leaders, and even students share the “why” behind the work.
• Building trust over time: Ensuring the community sees schools as engines for both student success and local growth.

why this matters now

If education is changing, communication can’t stay the same. Families, staff, and business partners deserve a clear view of what schools are building, and that takes new strategies, new systems, and sometimes, new mistakes.

Districts like Allen County are showing what’s possible. Our role is to help make sure their vision doesn’t stay behind the scenes, but becomes the story the whole community can rally around.

ready to rethink your district’s communication?

Let’s explore how making a few “new mistakes” together could move your story forward.

👉 book a chat with our team