Executive Advertising / Branding It Forward
Meet Our First HonoreeCreative minds.
A place to belong.
Celebrating Hendersonville High School's National Art Honor Society and the young artists finding their voice.
Honoree Spotlight · 4 minute read
A Place To Belong
Every artist deserves a place to belong.
Before an artwork finds an audience, a young artist needs a place to feel welcome. At Hendersonville High School, Hanna Hale helps create that space through the National Art Honor Society. Students can find people who share their interests, contribute their talents and discover that their creativity has a place in the school community. It is a fitting beginning for Branding It Forward's first honoree: a group whose work starts with helping students feel seen.
Executive Advertising's Branding It Forward program selected the society for $1,000 toward custom promotional products. According to its honoree profile, the group ordered 300 custom merchandise items and plans to sell them to raise money for the program. The support puts something tangible behind a purpose already taking shape: making art, sharing it and building connections along the way.
Beyond The Classroom
A bigger world of creative possibilities.
At the time of her interview, Hanna had taught for 18 years across four states. What matters most to her is giving students a community where they feel wanted and supported. The society also encourages members to keep up with their academic responsibilities, balancing their creative interests with the work of being a student. Art education and belonging grow together when students have a reason to stay involved.
That learning does not stop at the classroom door. Hanna describes museum visits, craft fairs and community service as opportunities to encounter different ideas and put creativity to use. Seeing artwork in person can introduce a new technique or perspective. Using their own talents to serve others gives students another way to connect with the community beyond school. Not every member will choose an art career, but each has room to explore what art could mean in their life.
Art Meets Opportunity
Make it. Share it. Learn from it.
For a student, selling an original artwork can mean parting with the only version. Hanna wants her students to have another option: reproduce their designs so they can share and sell their work without every sale being a goodbye to the original. Custom merchandise with student artwork can carry an idea beyond a single canvas and give more people a way to take part in it.
In the interview, Hanna describes students printing and selling their creations to the school and local community. A planned craft-fair selling initiative adds another setting for that experience. Designing something is one part of the process; explaining it, presenting it and talking with a customer are part of the learning, too. It is a chance to explore entrepreneurship while continuing to grow as an artist.
A Creative Identity
Small details. A recognizable story.
The society's supplied artwork and product photographs put its creative identity front and center. Brush designs carry the National Art Honor Society and Hendersonville High School names, while an artist duck design adds a playful nod to the group's interests. These are branded products with a purpose: a way to introduce the club and make its work recognizable beyond the art room.
Hanna reports that promotional products help draw attention to the department and the opportunities available through the club. That visibility can begin a conversation about the students, their projects and the work behind them. As the group moves forward with its fundraising plans, the merchandise is one part of a larger story about creativity and connection. Meet the students' organization in its first honoree profile.
What Comes Next
The lasting impression is belonging.
Hanna gives students space to take ownership of their projects, offering guidance without making every decision for them. That approach lets them practice leadership, communication and problem solving through experience. Whether their next step is an art career or another path, student creativity and confidence can keep growing long after a project is finished.
Above all, Hanna hopes students leave with a sense that they belong. Executive Advertising is proud to recognize Hendersonville High School National Art Honor Society as the first Branding It Forward honoree and help bring its work to a wider audience. Does your organization have a story and a clear purpose for promotional products? Explore the Branding It Forward application and share what your next chapter could look like.
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