District 64 has received the top honor, called the Golden Achievement Award of Excellence, and two publication awards in the annual communications contest sponsored by the Illinois Chapter of the National School Public Relations Association (INSPRA).
Golden Achievement awards are given to projects that encompass all aspects of a public engagement program from research to planning, implementation, and evaluation. This award is judged exclusively by school communication professionals from across the country who have earned the Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) credential.
The 2016 Golden Achievement Award was presented to Superintendent Laurie Heinz and Public Information Coordinator Bernadette Tramm for the 2020 Vision Strategic Plan Branding & Launch. The award considers both the branding created to align staff and community around the new mission statement as a unifying element, and the comprehensive communications effort designed to share the District’s new Strategic Plan with all stakeholders.
The multi-step outreach plan incorporated a wide range of communications channels and a host of collateral materials created to introduce the brand and launch the new Plan.
A sampling of efforts included: a new Strategic Plan logo and bold new graphic to symbolize the mission; Dr. Heinz’s video podcast series on the Plan’s strategic objectives; presentations to staff, PTO/As and community groups; employee lanyard pin; large-size poster; informational brochure; and companion website, among other components.
District 64 previously received Golden Achievement Awards for the 2014 “Tech Talk Week - Parent Education Outreach” initiative and the 2007 “State of the District/64 Forums” public engagement initiative.
In addition, INSPRA awards also were garnered for two publications:
- Annual Report 2015 – Award of Merit – Dr. Laurie Heinz and Bernadette Tramm: The first edition of this new publication was printed and mailed to all Park Ridge-Niles households within District 64. The 12-page report invites the community into our classrooms with photos and short reports from all schools to see learning in action. It also provides highlights about our educational programs, Board of Education activities, our new 2020 Vision Strategic Plan, facilities and finances. The report was intended to leave taxpayers confident that we are doing our very best as prudent stewards of local tax dollars as well as proud of the work District 64 does every day to fulfill our mission: To inspire every child to discover, learn, achieve, and care.
- Financial Report 2015 – Award of Excellence – Bernadette Tramm and Assistant Business Manager Brian Imhoff: The second edition of this e-publication was designed to provide essential information about the District’s financial health in one reader-friendly overview. It offers “at a glance” highlights for the previous year as well as the current budget, focusing primarily on our investments in student learning. In addition, it offers a review of revenues and expenses, and looked at the District’s financial performance over time and projections for the further. Our vital partnerships with parents and community members were also highlighted. The 2014 edition also received an INSPRA award.
INSPRA offers an opportunity each year for school districts to submit communications materials for competitive judging by a panel of public relations professionals from across the country. Entries are judged against criteria of excellence, and only those receiving top scores receive awards.
Members of NSPRA chapters in 10 states from across the country evaluated this year’s submissions.