August 2007
Contact: Holly Brooker
(845) 255-1400 xt. 1301

Ulster BOCES Ranks High With National School Public Relations Assocation Communications Contest Results

Mid-Hudson schools that are served through the Public Information cooperative service at Ulster BOCES were awarded three of only 125 national Awards of Excellence given in recognition of outstanding school communications by the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA).

Two of the Excellence awards recognized the Onteora Central School District’s 2006-2007 School Calendar and the 2006 Budget Newsletter, and the third was presented for an Annual Report produced for the Hudson Valley Regional School Support Center, a grant funded program based at Dutchess BOCES. The Award of Excellence publications were displayed as examples of excellence in school communications at the NSPRA national seminar held in Phoenix, Arizona.

In addition to the Excellence awards, three Ulster BOCES publications were recognized with Awards of Honor and one Ulster BOCES, one Marlboro Central School District, and two Ellenville Central School District publications earned Awards of Merit.

According to Ulster BOCES Community Relations Coordinator Holly Brooker, she and her team are thrilled with the national recognition and are especially proud to be able to present the Onteora Central School District with not only one, but two awards of this caliber. “The Onteora School District's commitment to its communications program is admirable. The Communications Committee has made wonderful recommendations, which the District has embraced; and that combination of support and energy is a sure-fire way to achieve success,” says Brooker.

The Ulster BOCES Public Information Co-Ser offers area school districts the expertise of a skilled team of communications professionals with specialties in community relations, media relations, journalism/writing, graphic arts, photography, and website development. Through collaboration, school districts benefit from cost-effective solutions for production of high-quality publications, including layout/design and printing.

Members of Brooker’s creative team include Graphics Specialist Barbara Slocum and Community Relations Specialists Dorothy Wills-Raftery, Judy Herron, and Kate Heidecker.

For more information about the Ulster BOCES Public Information cooperative service, please contact Brooker at 255-1400 or e-mail hbrooker@mhric.org.