An 11,000-student district, Franklin Township Community School Corporation occupies the southeast corner of Indianapolis, a city unique for its 11 public school districts. Being 87% residential homes, the area has the feel of a small town and an identity that’s inseparable from its schools.

“If you’re traveling, you say ‘Indianapolis,’” Pettet explains. “But here in central Indiana, you say ‘FTCSC.’ People know you are a Flash.

The name “Flashes” ties directly back to Benjamin Franklin, the township’s namesake, and the lightning bolt that symbolizes his famous experiment with electricity. “That connection to Ben Franklin gives our identity a deeper meaning,” Pettet says. “The bolt represents creativity, energy, and discovery—all things we want our kids to embody.” The district’s copyrighted lightning bolt is more than a logo; It’s a visual tribute to the district’s core values.

And FTCSC makes sure that visual reminder is everywhere. Youth sports leagues wear Flashes across every jersey. Building wraps and signage showcase the district’s lightning bolt. And at every level, from preschool to senior year, the message is consistent: You are a Flash.

“As a principal, I used to hear from parents that their kids were ‘Flashes from fourth grade on,’” Pettet recalls. “Now, we tell families that you’re a Flash from the very first day you walk into preschool,” says Pettet. “From then on, that’s your identity.”

When Pettet moved from building-level leadership to the central office eight years ago, communications at FTCSC were functional but not efficient. The website was serviceable but not strategic. Social media relied on a handful of motivated people. And the district’s visual identity was disjointed—especially at the elementary level, where each school had its own look and feel.

Meanwhile, Indiana’s policy environment shifted. With vouchers and money now following the student regardless of income, competition intensified. Private options attracted K-3 families who might previously have defaulted to their neighborhood schools. FTCSC is still growing (100+ students this year alone), thanks to a boom in new subdivisions as farmers are selling land in one of the last open areas of Indianapolis. But Pettet could see the trend clearly: Without population growth, school choice would pose real enrollment challenges.

“You can’t ignore the competition,” Pettet says. “But you can control how people perceive your district. You can make sure the story being told about your schools is the real one.”

1) Unify the Brand: We Are Flashes

The district established a unifying tag line #WeAreFlashes and then made it inescapably visible. Elementary logos are being refreshed with the lightning bolt as the common element; spirit wear and wraps reflect the same standards. PTOs have embraced the identity, amplifying consistency in everything from shirts to signage.

“Parents told us, ‘My kid is a Flash from fourth grade on, so why buy different gear in K–3?’” Pettet recalls. “So we leaned in: We Are Flashes from preschool forward.”

2) Mobilize Your Volunteer Storytellers in Every Building

Pettet’s comms team is small—just two people, with a third position temporarily added through a grant. But their influence spreads through a volunteer army of more than 15 communication teams across every building. Teachers, instructional aides, clerical staff, and even custodians and bus drivers all take part in telling the district’s story.

“These teams are the heartbeat of what we do,” Pettet explains. “They’re not just posting photos. They’re capturing the soul of our schools.”

Each building’s team operates with a blend of autonomy and guidance. Pettet’s office sends prompts and ideas ahead of every spirit day or special event, along with reminders about hashtags, themes, and district branding. Volunteers are encouraged to share candid moments of classroom joy, hallway celebrations, and behind-the-scenes stories that might otherwise go unnoticed.

“We try to remind them, ‘You’re the eyes of our community,’” Pettet says. “When you show what’s happening in your hallway, a parent on the other side of the district gets to see the heart of FTCSC.”

The volunteer model also extends beyond schools. Even departments like transportation and facilities have communication reps who showcase their work. Bus drivers post about spirit days. Maintenance crews share photos of newly improved playgrounds or snow-clearing efforts that keep schools running safely.

“It’s amazing how those groups have taken it on,” Pettet says. “Our transportation department might post a team picture in matching shirts on spirit day, and it blows up online. People see that, and they realize, ‘Everyone here belongs to the same family.’”

The teams meet with Pettet regularly for feedback and idea-sharing sessions. They review analytics together, celebrate milestones, and talk about how small changes can lead to big engagement wins. As volunteers see the impact of their work—how their posts are shared and celebrated—their motivation grows.

“One of our volunteers told me, ‘I started doing this because I thought it would be fun, but now parents stop me in the hallway to say how much they love our posts.’ That kind of feedback keeps people invested.”

3) Measure What Matters and Act on It Fast

FTCSC treats communications like an academic program: set goals, monitor data, adjust instruction. The district’s Apptegy website upgrade was a “whole other level” step forward in that effort—not only visually, but operationally. Pettet uses Google Analytics weekly to update a “Top 10 most-visited” links module visible on the district and every school homepage, so families get one-click access to what the community is actually seeking.

The district also deployed AlwaysOn, Apptegy’s 24/7 website chatbot for customer service. Pettet added a survey inside the bot and monitors the backend analytics obsessively.

“The AlwaysOn chatbot has changed how we manage the website,” Pettet says. “We’re making three or four changes a semester based entirely on what the bot data shows.”

One of the surprise findings: Staff Quick Links. Pettet and team expected families to dominate traffic. Instead, analytics revealed heavy staff usage of the district site. That insight reshaped homepage real estate and validated the dual aim of their web strategy: customer service for families and frictionless usability for staff.

“When I talk to Apptegy support, I sometimes figure things out mid-conversation,” Pettet adds. “And they’re still cheering me on. That’s what great support feels like.”

FTCSC’s social media feeds feel like a walk through the buildings, not a press release about them. Pettet has long believed that the narrative is getting written whether schools participate or not.

“Right now, everyone else paints our story,” he says. “If a student forgets an assignment, they frame that at home before we can call. But if we’ve been telling our story all day, real moments, not staged, the parent is already connected. When a problem comes up, the relationship starts on stronger ground.”

This is why the monthly district spirit day matters. It isn’t just fun; it’s community practice. The district posts hundreds of photos from staff, students, and families using #WeAreFlashes. Schools often run spirit weeks that culminate in the district theme. Staff even plan outfits in advance, teasing their looks on personal social media pages. Joy, it turns out, is habit-forming.

Inside the Work: The Systems Behind the Success

Pettet is candid about the capacity of his small team, acknowledging how essential those volunteer social teams are. So what keeps volunteers engaged? Clear expectations, consistent encouragement, and visible results.

• Principal Partnerships. Pettet’s years as a principal forged trust. When progress lagged, he didn’t scold; he showed up. “What can I do to walk alongside you?” he’d ask. Over time, principals tweaked how they recruited and supported their social teams, aligning building practice to district vision.

• Cadence and Ritual. The monthly spirit day isn’t a gimmick; it’s a content engine. It guarantees a floor of celebratory material and keeps the brand’s heartbeat audible all year.

• Storyfinding, Not Just Storytelling. Pettet’s team is piloting alumni stories to connect current students to life after graduation. “We’ve started reaching out to graduates,” he says. “We want to show what life looks like after FTCSC and how being a Flash shapes your future.”

For Pettet, this story is more than a communications success. It’s a reflection of the community he calls home. As both a parent and a communication leader, he’s watched pride ripple outward from classrooms to neighborhoods, from bus garages to football fields. “It’s one thing to create a strong brand,” he says. “It’s another to live it every single day.”

That everyday pride is what makes the “We Are Flashes” identity powerful. It’s not manufactured in an office or confined to a logo; it’s shaped by the people who share it. “When you see a bus driver, a third grader, and a high school senior all using the same hashtag,” Pettet says, “you realize the brand isn’t ours, it’s theirs. It belongs to everyone.”

He often reminds his team that communication isn’t about polish. It’s about connection. “When we tell our story in real time, it shows our heart,” he says. “That’s what families feel. That’s what keeps them here.”

Just as Ben Franklin’s spark of curiosity illuminated the world, Franklin Township Community School Corporation's storytelling illuminates the spirit of its people. Pettet sees that connection as more than symbolic. “Franklin believed in discovery, community, and invention,” he says. “We try to live that here every day.”

“We’ve gotten much better at telling our story,” he says. “But more than that, we’ve learned to listen to what people love about being a Flash. That’s where the next chapter begins.”

And in FTCSC, that chapter will always end the same way: We Are Flashes.