PR Department Earns National Recognition

The Fayette County School System’s public relations department has received five awards from the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) for distinguished achievement in writing, graphic design and electronic communications.

Entries are judged on content, use of graphics/special effects and color, layout and usefulness to the intended audience. This year’s winning entries received honorable mentions and include two press releases (the Starr’s Mill High daycare center and holocaust memorial at RSMS), the 2007 financial summary and 2007 recruitment brochure and a Channel 24 video about the Starr’s Mill High daycare center.

Fayette’s projects competed against 1,064 entries from across in the nation in the publication and audio/visual categories. Only 570 of these entries received awards.

“This recognition is truly an honor. The competition is very rigorous with entries competing against each other without the size of the school system or public relations department taken into consideration. Knowing that our projects went up against those from bigger systems with more resources and larger public relations departments makes these awards even more meaningful,” says Melinda Berry-Dreisbach, public information specialist.

The public relations department has received both national and state awards for its communication materials since the office opened in 2001. All totaled, the department has been awarded 56 national and state honors.