Written eloquently by Dinorah Hall, Parent volunteer webmaster for the Humanities and International Studies Program (HISP) at C. K. McClatchy (CKM) High School

As the parent volunteer webmaster for the Humanities and International Studies Program (HISP) at C. K. McClatchy (CKM) High School, I was familiar with your firm's work in resurrecting CKM's school-wide website. When it came time for HISP to re-design its website, the HISP Board was well aware and impressed with the work ePaiges had done at CKM. Also, we saw the built-in email functions as a huge bonus in helping us reach more of our parents.

• Website design: A website can make a powerful impression--for good or bad--and speak volumes about an organization. We wanted a design that incorporated elements from our logo and our previous site, yet looked modern, professional, consistent, colorful, and attractive--we got everything we asked for in the design ePaiges developed.
   

• Content: While the site map and content were developed by HISP, ePaiges provided excellent advice based on its experience in setting up websites for other schools and educational programs. We have saved money--doing away with paper and postage costs of our paper newsletter; posting instructional materials such as our AP Senior Reader which costs hundreds of dollars to copy each year (no more!). We have given our parents and students the luxury of 24/7 access to information--accessible forms that students, parents, and prospective students can easily download. Prospective student interest in our program has grown significantly, as parents and students have a source for detailed information on the program. Finally, we have become more efficient--the ability to post broad and deep information on the program has drastically reduced the number of emails and phone calls the office staff has had to handle.
   

• Email: Rather than resort to free email programs, ePaiges incorporated a number of email related features that has helped us reach our parents more effectively. We have a "Friends of HISP" button on our site where parents can sign up to receive our monthly electronic newsletter. Each newsletter features a design that brands it to our website and program. This has been the single most powerful tool we have incorporated into our site. The effects have been amazing--double and even triple attendance at parent events and enhanced fundraising; the ability to alert parents at a moment's notice to any fast-approaching deadline or event or issue a call for volunteers and get an immediate response. Parents are confident they are in the information loop and that they do not need to rely on word of mouth or paper notices trapped at the bottom of a backpack.
   

• Electronic donation and social media: ePaiges has recently helped us establish an electronic donation mechanism so that we can raise money in a new way, making it easier for parents, businesses and alumni to support our program. We anticipate that donations to our program will increase as this added convenience becomes more widely utilized. ePaiges has also helped us add a Facebook link to our site so that we can better communicate with our alumni.
   

• Technical assistance: Finally, when something goes wrong or there's a tough question that needs an answer, it is reassuring to know someone will respond to your call for help. ePaiges responds in a timely manner--always. Their turnaround on our weekly web postings is consistent and something we can count on. When we need something urgently added, ePaiges has never once failed to follow-through with last-minute changes or additions.

For website development, ePaiges (1) delivers high quality graphic design services; (2) has the capability to incorporate value-added features to your site; and (3) provides critical technical support to improve your site's design or troubleshoot problems when they arise. We no longer have to worry if we have the correct version of web software because ePaiges web-based maintenance system relieves us of that burden. Since much of our web work falls on the shoulders of parent volunteers, ePaiges also provides the consistency that keeps our website working, attractive and, effective as new parent volunteers become involved. Also, ePaiges' minutes-based billing system gives us maximum flexibility in allocating money for our web maintenance costs.

Sondel, Dianna, and crew have been invaluable to our program.