LA PLATA, Md. (Nov. 26, 2008)—Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) communications staff recently received three awards for publications and multi-media productions from the Chesapeake Chapter of the National School Public Relations Associations (CHESPRA).
A video program produced for Channel 96, the school system's television station, received an Award of Excellence, the highest available award, in the Special Events category. The program highlighted a rain gardens construction at Maurice J. McDonough High School in which students joined with the Port Tobacco River Conservancy to preserve the Port Tobacco River. The program was produced by Kyle Graves, video production specialist for CCPS.
A podcast produced to assist students in studying for the Scholastic Aptitude and ACT tests received an Award of Excellence in the Podcast category. The podcast, titled "The Student Voice: SAT/ACT Podcast," included studying advice and tips from CCPS students who had already taken the tests or were in preparation to take the tests. The podcast was also featured on iTunes as one of the top education-related podcasts accessed last school year.
The podcast was produced by Steven Sprouse, digital communications specialist for CCPS. The podcast can be found at http://www2.ccboe.com/sat/podcast/.
Additionally, the CCPS employee newsletter, School News, received an Award of Merit, the second highest award, in the Employee Communication category. School News is produced twice a month for more than 3,390 staff members and features school system accomplishments, staff and student awards, and school special events and programs features. The publication is produced by Katie O'Malley-Simpson, coordinator of media relations and communications for CCPS, and Shelley Buter, communications project developer for CCPS.
Each year, the CHESPRA chapter hosts a communications contest to recognize outstanding communications produced by school divisions and local schools in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia and to encourage CHESPRA members to evaluate and improve their communications.
Source: Charles County public school system