Challenge
Capture a young school with a global soul
Stratford Hall opened its doors in 2000 with just 40 students.
From those early days, the school set out to do something different: deliver the full International Baccalaureate (IB) continuum in a way that was rigorous, inclusive, and deeply connected to community.
By the time the school approached its 20th anniversary, Stratford Hall had grown to over 500 students across three purpose-built buildings. But the founding mission — to inspire learners to shape a better world — remained central.
The school community wanted to mark this milestone with something lasting. Not just a keepsake. Not just a timeline.
They wanted a book that would:
- Reflect the full Stratford Hall experience
- Honour the people and ideas that shaped the school’s journey
- Show students and alumni how far they’d come and where they could go
It needed to feel like Stratford: thoughtful, bold, and globally engaged.
Solution
A book that reflected the school’s values visually and verbally
Echo worked closely with school leaders, alumni, faculty, and founding families to shape a story that matched the school’s tone: curious, open-hearted, and intentional.
We built the book around Stratford Hall’s core framework — the 10 IB Learner Profile attributes — and each attribute became a chapter theme, allowing us to explore different voices, moments, and memories within a unified structure.
Design played a major role.
We leaned into clean, modern typography and high-contrast layouts. We blended archival images with vibrant full-bleed photography of current students and spaces.
Sidebars carried timelines and context; pull quotes let student and teacher voices shine. Even the chapter openers were treated like gallery pieces: minimal, beautiful, and bold.
The result was an object that looked as progressive as the school it celebrated.
Result
A community portrait that inspires the next chapter
The finished book became more than a memento.
It was presented at a major anniversary event and quickly made its way into classrooms and family bookshelves. Students flipped through to find photos of themselves, their siblings, or their favourite teachers. Faculty saw their years of work acknowledged with care. Alumni saw how their stories were part of a much larger, ongoing legacy.
The book helped tie together Stratford Hall’s many chapters past, present, and future.
There’s more.
Shortly after the book was released, Harrison Lee, son of one of Stratford Hall’s four founders, Elaine Lee, left a heartwarming Mother’s Day shout out for his mom on LinkedIn, expressing how proud and inspired he was by the sacrifice she made to establish the school.
This book provided something every institution hopes for at 20 years: a strong sense of identity, carried forward in print.
One more cool thing...
The values of structure, the structure of values
Rather than organizing the book chronologically, Echo proposed a thematic structure based on the 10 IB Learner Profile attributes.
That approach transformed the book.
It gave Stratford Hall a way to show its identity in action through stories of students being Risk-takers, teachers being Principled, and alumni reflecting on Balance.
The structure was instantly recognizable to the community. It helped current families explain the school to prospective ones. And it proved that institutional values don’t just belong on the wall.
They can shape a story.
Want to create a legacy piece that honours both vision and community?
If you liked this school story, you’ll love these. We help institutions mark milestones with clarity, beauty, and meaning.
- Company stories
- higher education
- Salt Lake Community College
- 75th anniversary book
- Company stories
- education
- Trinity College School
- 150-year school anniversary book
- Company stories
- education
- Shawnigan Lake School
- 100th anniversary book
- Company stories
- higher education
- Salt Lake Community College
- 75th anniversary book
- Company stories
- education
- Trinity College School
- 150-year school anniversary book
- Company stories
- education
- Shawnigan Lake School
- 100th anniversary book