Chances are that if you attend the high school, you have heard about Bexley Bold. Introduced in
August of 2017, the district-wide slogan has become integrated within the culture of the district, yet few students are aware of its purpose.
The district needs to clarify the purpose behind Bexley Bold and decrease the phrase’s excessive usage in order for the slogan to make an impact.
In the two-and-a-half years since Bexley Bold was first introduced, there have been little to no formal explanations offered to students about the slogan. In a survey of 502 students, only 31% said they felt that the purpose behind Bexley Bold had been communicated to them. Superintendent Kim Miller said she explained Bexley Bold to teachers in a staff meeting. However, the slogan has not been formally explained to students. Without adequate
explanation, the slogan lacks meaning for students and therefore cannot have its intended effect.
Bexley Bold is mainly utilized on the school’s social media accounts, primarily as a hashtag. Almost all of the social media posts from the district are accompanied by the phrase, which makes the slogan look like a marketing tool. The bombardment of Bexley Bold content has taken any possible meaning away from the phrase in students’ eyes. Photos of students
are also posted with the hashtag, often to promote something happening in the school. When the school posts a picture of a student with the hashtag, it ties that student to Bexley Bold. The constant use of student images as a promotional tool for the district gives the false impression that students support the slogan, when in fact they may not even understand what their images are being used to promote.
The message behind Bexley Bold is supposed to be beneficial to students. Miller said she initially intended for Bexley Bold to serve as a reminder for students and staff to grow as learners and educators. The idea sounds positive, but the way it has been implemented does not reflect the original purpose. The constant promotion and ambiguity surrounding the phrase has negatively impacted how students interpret Bexley Bold because they are not aware of what they are being asked to support. The administration needs to change how they use the slogan if they truly want to inspire progress.
The biggest issue with Bexley Bold is that it is not having its intended impact. When surveyed, only 3% of students said they felt inspired by Bexley Bold, and only 20% said they felt somewhat inspired. Those are low numbers for a phrase that has been in use since 2017, which, according to Miller, was meant to inspire students. If the administration genuinely cares about inspiring students, they need to change perceptions surrounding Bexley Bold.
Bexley Bold was initially meant to inspire growth and change within the school. But without proper communication and effective implementation, it has earned little credibility among students. If the administration truly wants to inspire change among the student body, they need to effectively communicate to students the intention of the phrase and stop the excessive use of Bexley Bold online.
Released November 2019. Digitized 2025.
