School board communications team wins three national awards

The Communications team at the Hastings Prince Edward District School Board has received three awards from the Canadian Association of Communicators in Education (CACE).

The team won three awards including the ‘Coup de coeur’ for the project ‘A Day in the Life of an EA’ video, awarded to Mary Doyle, Communications Officer
Two Awards of Distinction under the Communications Project category, for the projects ‘How to Become a Technological Education Teacher’ and ‘Ray of Sunshine Recognition’ were awarded to Kerry Donnell, Communications and Privacy Manager.

The BRAVO! Awards Program is the only Canada-wide awards program specifically designed to recognize excellence in school board communications. Awards were presented at the end of October.

“Our communications team has set a high standard, earning national recognition for dedication and creativity to their craft,” said Katherine MacIver, Director of Education. “These BRAVO! Awards are a testament to the team’s commitment to excellence in professional communications and their ability to connect, inspire and elevate our school communities. I am so proud of the team’s achievements!”

A “Coup de cœur” is typically is a one-piece item, such as a logo, a brochure, a promotional item, etc. Different from the Communication Project category, Coup de coeur entrants are not expected to submit a detailed work summary.

The Communications Project category recognizes education communication projects. It involves demonstrating a combination of two or more products, events or activities. Communications projects are full, complete projects, such as the creation of new branding, development of a new awareness campaign, or the launch of a new initiative with multiple components. These entries have a comprehensive, strategic communications plan (e.g., RACE (research, action, communication, evaluation), or RPIE (research, planning, implementation, evaluation)), with clear evidence of objective project/program evaluation.

CACE uses a panel of volunteer, independent judges, who are involved in public relations/ communications outside of the field of education, to evaluate entries. Each entry is judged individually against the contest criteria, not against other entries. Judges score each submission and evaluate the entry based on the information supplied on the entry form, the work summary and the supplemental/backup information provided.

Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board (HPEDSB) serves approximately 15,400 students each day at 38 schools (31 elementary, two K-12; four 7-12, one secondary). Supporting student achievement is the goal of approximately 2,000 teaching and support staff who, in addition to the contributions of caring volunteers and community partners, share their passion for teaching and learning.

The Canadian Association of Communicators in Education (CACE) is a national association of professionals committed to enhancing excellence in communications in education.