HPEDSB receives two national awards for excellence in school board communications
Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board received national recognition with two BRAVO! Awards through the Canadian Association of Communicators in Education.
Congratulations to Kerry Donnell, Communications Officer for providing the lead on the awards.
1. Say and Do Nice Things campaign
Data from school climate surveys completed by students, parents/guardians and school staff in the fall of 2013 provided perceptions about students feeling welcome and included at school. Overwhelmingly, students indicated that welcoming behaviours, such as smiling, saying "hi' and asking how things are going outside of school all help them to feel welcome and yet, to a large extent, that was not happening.
Three years of featuring the predecessor Say One Nice Thing (SONT) campaign resulted in user awareness and provided a means for positive comments or stories about HPEDSB shared at schools, the Education Centre and through families and communities.
Fast-forward to November 2017 when a revitalized campaign was launched. Say and Do Nice Things came alive with a new name, look and user actions. The moniker SONT changed to Say and Do Nice Things (SDNT). The design changed from a funky/1960s look to a superhero look. The user interface changed to incorporate user actions with the focus on "do' activities.
In addition, two new slogans were introduced:
Help someone feel included . . . Say and Do Nice Things
Help someone feel like they belong . . . Say and Do Nice Things
Congratulations to Kerry Donnell, Communications Officer; Ken Dostaler, System Lead - Equity; Tina Elliott, System Lead - Student Services; and Sherry Rivers, Digital Communications Specialist.
2) Well-Being in Schools video
The key goal was to raise awareness of student well-being in our schools and among the parent community. This video featured students and school staff describing their interactions, and by showing students engaged in learning in a variety of settings. Each person conveyed the message of HPEDSB schools being inclusive and welcoming learning environments. Cameos by the chair of the Board and director of education were included.
The BRAVO! Awards recognize and honour exemplary work in all aspects of school public relations, communications, marketing and engagement. BRAVO Awards of Excellence, Distinction and Merit are presented annually at the CACE conference.
The awards ceremony is the highlight of the annual CACE conference, which brings together communication professionals from school boards across Canada for professional development and to share best practices from coast to coast.
For more information, please contact:
Kerry Donnell, Communications Officer, 613-966-1170 or 1 800 267-4350, extension 2354, [email protected]