Each year, the Georgia School Public Relations Association acknowledges school PR professionals who demonstrate exceptional communications skills by producing outstanding publications, photography and electronic media. This evaluation program is designed to provide recognition and professional support for those who do great work in communicating with parents, staff, the media, community members, business partners and other specialized publics.
For this year’s publication contest, Valdosta City Schools submitted five entries and won five awards, one of which was a “Best in Category” recognition.

The director of public relations, Jennifer Steedley, submitted the Valdosta City Schools Code of Student Conduct in the Handbook Category; she received the Gold Award of Excellence for this submission. The judges provided comments and feedback for each of the submissions and of this particular entry they said, “This Code of Student Conduct is loaded with important information, but packaged in a way that makes sense. The photos are a great way to soften the message.”

In the area of Image/Identity Package, the annual Facts and Figures folder was submitted; this was awarded a Bronze Award of Merit. The judges said, “Valdosta City Schools has done it again. This one stop shop for information about the district is both appealing and functional. Great idea!”

The third submission in the area of Annual Reports was this year’s “VCS – Imagine the Possibilities” magazine. This submission was given a Gold Award of Excellence and recognized as the Best in Category among 155 applicants. For the magazine, the judges said, “Outstanding publication! Love the magazine layout and use of community sponsorships. Excellent cover.”

Next in the Special Purpose Publication category, the ESPLOST informational brochure was entered. It was also given a Gold Award of Excellence. And lastly, VCS entered the Social Media Category highlighting their social media presence through Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. This entry garnered a Gold Award of Excellence. The judges complimented the community engagement for each of these submissions.

“Entering five categories and bringing home awards in all five is certainly an accomplishment that we are incredibly proud of,” said Jennifer Steedley, director of public relations with Valdosta City Schools. For more information on any of the award entries contact the Office of Public Relations at VCS by calling (229) 671-6065 or email Jennifer Steedley at [email protected].