HSSD Earns Top Awards for School Communications

The Howard-Suamico School District (HSSD) was recently honored by the Wisconsin School Public Relations Association (WSPRA) and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) with the following awards:

• WSPRA Lighthouse Award and Spectrum Award of Excellence for the Bay Port High School Class of 2020 Commencement Introduction Video
• WSPRA Spectrum Award of Excellence for The Current, HSSD’s staff newsletter
• WSPRA Spectrum Award of Excellence for the redesigned HSSD website
• PRSA WisCOMsin Award of Excellence for a press conference, in partnership with Green Bay Area Public Schools and Leonard & Finco Public Relations, entitled Press Conference for Community Support to Stop the Spread of COVID-19

“It is with great pride that we celebrate the recognition of our communications projects of the past year,” said Damian LaCroix, Howard-Suamico School District Superintendent. “We strive to engage, connect, and inspire our staff, families, and community. We are excited and humbled to receive positive feedback from our peers across the country regarding the caliber of our team’s work.”

WSPRA Awards

The WSPRA Lighthouse Award is the top award presented in the state each year, exemplifying the very best communications work throughout Wisconsin school districts. This year, the Bay Port High School Commencement Introduction Video received the Lighthouse Award among more than 100 submissions from 52 school districts. The recognition marks the second Lighthouse Award for HSSD, which also was honored in 2015 for the Upward Together Capital Campaign.  

The WSPRA Spectrum Awards were announced at its virtual annual conference April 7. Spectrum Awards recognize high-quality public relations efforts produced by or on behalf of Wisconsin school districts. 

WSPRA’s Spectrum Awards are judged by members of other school public relations associations throughout the United States, including from Illinois, North Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Iowa, New York, Texas, Alabama, Arizona, and South Carolina.

“The work submitted by the Spectrum Award winners is a testament to the importance of school communications and community engagement,” said WSPRA President Tracy Habisch-Ahlin. “This year of COVID has highlighted the critical role communication professionals play in education. The award winners demonstrate how schools and communities serve the needs of our children best when they work together to understand educational priorities and needs.”

In addition to the Spectrum Award of Excellence, as previously announced, the redesigned HSSD website won an Award of Excellence through the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA). The website was one of 12 in the nation to be recognized with this honor. 

PRSA WisCOMsin Awards

The WisCOMsin Award of Excellence for the Press Conference for Community Support to Stop the Spread of COVID-19 was announced virtually during the inaugural PRSA state awards program April 27. 

The WisCOMsin Awards recognize top communications, public relations, and marketing achievements by professionals in the Madison and Northeast Wisconsin chapters of PRSA. PRSA WisCOMsin award submissions were judged by members of the PRSA Maryland Chapter. View the full list of WisCOMsin awards here: https://prsanewis.org/Awards. 

About WSPRA

WSPRA is a state affiliate of the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA). The mission of WSPRA is to expand the capacity of its members to provide effective communication management for the purpose of strengthening educational opportunities for all students. 

About PRSA Northeast Wisconsin

As an extension of the Public Relations Society of America, PRSA Northeast Wisconsin strives to unify, strengthen, and advance the profession of public relations within the eight-county area surrounding Lake Winnebago and the bay of Green Bay.