NYSPRA Awards: SWBOCES communications team wins 9 state honors

Showing by SWBOCES team sets new mark in statewide awards

School communicators in the Southern Westchester BOCES Office of Public Information set a new record with nine awards in the New York School Public Relations Association's annual contest. The awards were announced on Nov. 13.

Team members support communications in component districts across the Southern Westchester region as well as BOCES programs, guiding print and digital strategy and providing goal-oriented audience targeting to help educators achieve student-centered goals. 

Public Relations Specialist Natalia Baage received two first-place Awards of Excellence - first for Social Media for her management of Horace Greeley High School's athletic department Instagram account, and second for the Valhalla Union Free School District's Annual Calendar. Ms. Baage also received a second-place Award of Honor for Excellence in Writing for her article, "Girl Power," which tells the story of four girls sports teams that reached their respective Section One final.

Director of Communications Brian Howard received a first-place Award of Excellence in Photography for his photo of a student picking a tomato at the Rye Lake Lower Campus' therapeutic garden classroom. Mr. Howard also received two second-place Awards of Honor for Excellence in Writing - for an article accompanying the photo, titled "Rye Lake Lower Campus garden offers a bounty of benefits," and for the article, "Intramural Sports prove to be a major motivator at Rye Lake Campus Middle-High School." 

Video Producer Anthony DiNoto received a second-place Awards of Honor and a third-place Award of Merit in the Video category. The former for "Future Ready," produced for the Pocantico Hills Central School, and the latter for "Redefining Success," produced on behalf of the special act Greenburgh-Graham Union Free School District.

Graphic Illustrator Jeffry Braun received a second-place Award of Honor for Special Purpose Publications for his design of the Code of Conduct for the City School District of New Rochelle.

"I'm grateful to our peers for recognizing our dedication to our BOCES programs and component districts," Mr. Howard said of his team's showing in the NYSPRA awards. "The mix of district and BOCES work demonstrates the quality we seek to provide to both our internal and district partners. The mix of awards - from photography and video to graphic design, social media and writing - illustrates the breadth of talents we bring to bear on behalf of students and school districts in our region. We are honored by this earning a record number of awards at the State level."

 The SWBOCES Communications team won 23 awards earlier this year in the National School Public Relations Association's annual honors.

Staff members in the Office of Public Information at Southern Westchester BOCES are members of both NYSPRA and NSPRA. The organizations represent school districts, BOCES and independent school communications providers across the state and country. They are dedicated to promoting effective communications with school communities, including students, parents, staff members, residents, partners and all stakeholders.