TEMPLE, Texas — The Temple Independent School District’s Communications Department has been recognized with five Gold Star Awards and one Silver Star Award presented by the Texas School Public Relations Association (TSPRA). The winners were announced at TSPRA’s 62nd annual conference last week (February 28) in Sugar Land.
This year’s TSPRA Star Awards recognize work produced during the 2022-2023 school year. Temple ISD won honors in all six Star Awards categories it entered. The department, led by Chief of Communications and Community Relations Christine Parks, was honored with a Gold Star Award for its invitation to the groundbreaking ceremony for Sampson-Howard Elementary and another Gold Star Award for banners located in the district administration building. TISD also won Gold Star Awards for the “How We Lead” video explaining the TISD Leadership Definition Framework, for a photo featuring academic/classroom subjects with a student at Meridith-Dunbar Early Childhood Academy trying out the school’s new virtual reality goggles, and for published news release for a release highlighting the success of Temple High School’s BBQ Team. Temple ISD also claimed a Silver Star Award for its video celebrating Temple High School football’s milestone 800th victory. The other members of the Temple ISD Communications Department are Eric Larson – Digital Communications Coordinator, and Jon Wallin – Public Information Officer. ISD competed with all districts across the state of Texas with 15,000 or fewer students, meaning Temple had to compete with districts and departments that were almost twice the size of TISD.
“Our work is focused on building relationships and earning the trust of the people we serve – our staff, students, families, and community – by providing transparent, timely, and consistent communication,” Parks said. “I am proud of the work our team does to share Temple ISD’s story, and state-level recognition of this work is something that I hope our community takes pride in, as well.”
The TSPRA Star Awards provide recognition for the outstanding education communications and projects of submitting members each year. Submissions are judged on set criteria and there are 47 main categories of competition covering various media such as newsletters, programs, posters, reports, writing, image/identity packages, photography, graphics, video, electronic presentations, campaigns, events, and web sites. Judges award Gold, Silver, or Bronze winners and schools are divided into three groups. There are separate competitions for districts with 15,000 students or less, 15,000-40,000 students and 40,000 or more students. This year’s winners were selected from a record-setting 1,850 entries.
“In 2018, the school board’s charge upon hire was to assemble a communications department and communications plan, that told our story,” Dr. Bobby Ott, superintendent of Temple schools, said. “Our communications department has done this in a way that has built trust with our community. We do not kick the ugly under the carpet or shy away from celebrating our students or staff. We provide honest and timely communications, and this is a responsibility we take seriously. I am most proud of the style and creativity in which we communicate. This has created a brand for Temple ISD, and one that is recognized by our peers across Texas.”
The Communications Department’s Gold and Silver Star Awards will also be recognized at the TISD school board meeting on March 18th.