For most elementary, middle, and high schools, an effective Web presence is simply not an attainable goal. All too often, school Web sites are a mish-mash of tacky design, outdated information, and impossible-to-remember domain names.
Escondido High School was no exception to this rule. EHS has had a live Web presence since 1996. Even in its earliest days, the EHS Web site was designed fairly well from an aesthetic standpoint. However, information always seemed to be out of date, and organization of information was a problem. Worse yet, people tended not to visit the site because the school's domain name used the same unwieldy format that so many education and government-related Web sites use.
In order for the EHS Web site to become a truly useful tool for the community, a creative new approach had to be taken.
In October 2000, I was hired as the school's Web Designer and Webmaster. As an alumnus of the school who had been involved in earlier iterations of the EHS Web site as a student, my involvement was a perfect fit for the needs of the school.
Immediately, I began work on a comprehensive redesign of the EHS Web site. This redesign was completed and officially launched in January 2001 to coincide with the start of the school year's second semester. That redesigned site, and subsequent updated versions, incorporated the following key features:
- A New Name
To make access to the site easier, EHS purchased a much simpler domain name: www.ehscougars.com. - A Friendly Face
The site's new home page gave all viewers a quick look at the biggest current events taking place on campus. It also featured an intuitive user interface that allowed users to find almost any desired information in two clicks or less. - Timely Info
The primary reason for having a school site is to get key information to students and parents in a timely manner. This was done through the creation of a comprehensive calendar system, inclusion of the EHS Daily Bulletin, and by allowing office staff to update text on the site with Adobe Contribute software. - Fun and Unique Features
To make the site more interesting, and to build school spirit, various fun and useful features were added. These included: the Cougar Hall of Fame for sports, an animated Flash history of EHS, a campus tour complete with map and pictures, and more. - Alumni Connection
Upcoming reunions were posted to give graduates a central place that they could keep in touch with their alma mater.
These and other compelling features made the new ehscougars.com a huge leap forward in Web site design for educational institutions.
Today, all members of the Escondido High School community have come to rely on ehscougars.com. The site is more user-friendly than ever before as the result of an August 2006 upgrade. However, while this upgrade added many new features, the site's basic structure is still largely unchanged from its relaunch in January 2001 — a testament to the user-friendly nature of the design.
Perhaps the best measure of a Web site's effectiveness is the number of visits to the site. In January 2001, ehscougars.com averaged roughly 2,000 visits per month. Today, that number has increased to 7,000 visits per month with peak visitation of 9,000 per month during the busiest months of the year (the start of the school year, graduation, etc). Overall, approximately 430,000 visitors have accessed the site since it's rebirth in January 2001.
I encourage you to experience ehscougars.com for yourself.
