School board’s communications team wins national BRAVO! award

At the presentation of the HPEDSB Communications team winning a national BRAVO! Award, from left, were: Pascale Cyr, CACE President; Kerry Donnell, HPEDSB Communications and Privacy Manager and Jacques Major, Business Development Manager, SchoolBundle.

CHEERS! to the communications team at Hastings Prince Edward District School Board – including Kerry Donnell, Communications and Privacy Manager, and Mary Doyle, Communications Officer, for receiving a BRAVO! Award from the Canadian Association of Communicators in Education (CACE).

The award was a Coup de Coeur for the Shine On, Vapes Gone campaign from fall 2024. It was aimed at Grade 9 students and its objectives were to raise awareness about the harms of vaping; to reduce vaping among students; to encourage students who do not vape not to start; and to help students to feel safer in school washrooms.

The project was planned and launched through a multi-faceted awareness campaign within six weeks. The team created graphics, web and social media messaging, partnered and collaborated with internal departments and public health, and put together enough anti-vaping awareness kits to give one to every incoming Grade 9 student.

Katherine MacIver, Director of Education said she is incredibly proud of the team.

“Their creativity, professionalism and dedication help us share the incredible stories happening at schools every day. This recognition is a reflection of the team’s commitment to excellence in all they do.”

CACE recognizes and honours exemplary work in all aspects of school public relations, communications, marketing and engagement through the BRAVO! Awards Program each year. Submissions are evaluated by a panel of volunteer, independent judges, who are involved in public relations/communications outside of the field of education, on the demonstration of the RPIE (research, planning, implementation and evaluation) process. Each entry is judged individually against the award 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 information provided.

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.

The Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board (HPEDSB) serves approximately 15,300 students each day at 38 schools (31 elementary, two K-12; four 7-12, one secondary).