Reimagining Values at the American School of Warsaw

The American School of Warsaw, Poland

The Challenge

After more than six decades of history and growth, the American School of Warsaw (ASW) reached a turning point. Years of rapid change had left the Board and leadership with a clear sense that something vital had drifted: the school’s founding values no longer felt visible or meaningful to the community they served.

Before tackling strategy or planning yet more change, the school knew it needed to rebuild its foundations. They needed shared language. A clear sense of identity. A way to bring the community together around what truly mattered.

The Approach

NoTosh was brought in to support a whole-school process of rediscovery.

We worked alongside a Design Team of students, staff, parents, school leaders and Board members. Together, we used the NoTosh Design Thinking process to uncover what makes the school tick. That meant observing school life, interviewing a wide range of voices, capturing stories and analysing data from every corner of the campus.

A dedicated space — “Project Nest” — was set up right at the school’s entrance, turning insights into a living installation. Post-its, sketches, quotes and photographs lined the walls. It became a focal point for the whole community, and a signal that this was everyone’s project.

There were contradictions and complexities — as expected. But within the noise, patterns began to surface. More importantly, the process created a safe space where everyone could contribute without fear of being ‘right’ or ‘wrong’.

The Breakthrough

Together with the Design Team, NoTosh led a creative synthesis of the data. Using tools that spark unexpected connections, we pushed past the surface to identify what really defined the ASW experience.

The team realised they didn’t just need updated ‘values’. They needed a shared language — one everyone could use and understand. They needed a way to make direction visible to the whole community, especially students.

With guidance from NoTosh founder Ewan McIntosh and award-winning creative director Gerry Farrell, the school decided to leave behind corporate jargon and generic virtues. Instead, they created something strikingly simple:

“Five Things You Need To Know About This School.”

Each one was grounded in a story from the ASW community. Each one gave clarity on how the school’s essence could be lived, every day by everyone.

The Result

The result wasn’t just a list of values. It was a renewed sense of purpose.

This process created a model for how ASW might tackle future challenges: collaboratively, openly, and with trust in the community’s collective intelligence.

It also set a new standard for clarity — not just in language, but in leadership.