Oct. 20, 2022-- The New Jersey School Public Relations Association (NJSPRA) held its annual Communication Awards celebration Tuesday evening, and Toms River Regional Schools walked away with several awards.
The district earned third-place honors in two categories. For Photography, the featured shot for the story "Students Volunteer to Help Construct Field of Dreams" of Jillian Kane pushing her brother Gavin on an inclusive swing took home the award. The photo, taken by High School North student assistance counselor (SAC) and amateur-yet-very-talented photographer Jim Patten, evoked emotion and portrayed action, and achieved the balance, composition, framing, and use of light that judges were seeking. What's more impressive is that the photography category, which supports the need for school districts to utilize impactful photographs to tell their stories, had the most submissions.
For Media Relations/Human Interest, the district's feature story on High School North alum Maria Ressa's February visit to the school was recognized. "Nobel Peace Prize Winner Maria Ressa Visits Her Former High School"-- which was written by the Communication Department with its own photos, including many from Patten-- was judged positively for its story message and interest level, as well as the district's capacity to have the news published in other media outlets.
"One of the reasons that Communications remains an ongoing, annual district goal is because myself, our team here, and our board all recognize the importance of sharing positive news about the district, and understand what it means to our students, staff, and families," said Superintendent Michael Citta. "I'm so happy and proud to see those efforts recognized, because I truly believe that our team here has been uniquely successful with communication that is well-constructed, fresh and consistent, and oftentimes visually stunning."
The 2022 contest was the most competitive on record with 87 submissions from 40 different school districts. Submissions were judged by an esteemed panel of 14 judges from nine states including professors from Rowan University and other industry experts across the country.
“Congratulations to Toms River Regional Schools for setting such a high standard for others in the field of school communications,” said Lori Perlow, public information officer at Haddon Township School District’s Communications Consortium and president of NJSPRA.
Representing the district at the awards ceremony at Forsgate Country Club in Monroe were Patten, Data Analyst and Communications Coordinator Malissa Sermarini, and Coordinator of the Office of Grants and Communication Mike Kenny.
About NJSPRA
The New Jersey School Public Relations Association (NJSPRA) is a state chapter of the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) and has been nationally recognized for our support of school public relations professionals and district leaders tasked with school communications.
For more than 25 years, NJSPRA has provided professional development, training, resources and collateral support in all facets of communication to education communities across the state. Members include public relations and communications professionals, as well as superintendents, administrators, board members, principals, teachers, and consultants, all of whom benefit from the wealth of information and networking we provide.