January, 2003
Contact: Holly Brooker
(845) 255-1450 xt.1301

Congratulations to Ulster BOCES! Not only did their website, www.ulsterboces.org, earn the top award in the recent New York School Public Relations Association’s (NYSPRA) 23rd Annual Communications Contest, it received a perfect score from one of the judges!

The Ulster BOCES website has many useful features for parents, teachers, community members, and employees alike. In addition to a constantly updated Ulster BOCES newsroom, there is an employment section listing all open positions with downloadable application forms. Important publications have been converted into web-friendly downloadable versions for public review. Interested individuals can find profiles of Board of Education members, register for Instructional Services workshops, find directions and/or maps to all of the Ulster BOCES sites, learn about different New York State learning initiatives, and much more.

The website contest category was judged by Kat Nagel, owner of MasterWork Consulting, and Kathy Palokoff, owner of Customericity, both located in Rochester, New York. The website category is judged on the following criteria:

• Attractive, readable, informative
• Good clear writing
• Good use of white space
• Blocks of text avoided
• Interest level
• Functional, consistent design
• Invites reader in
• Balance of form and content
• Easy to load

In addition to the Award of Excellence for the website, the Ulster BOCES team earned three other Awards of Excellence, eight Awards of Honor, and twelve Awards of Merit in the statewide competition that had nearly 700 entries.