Carson City School District honored for communication plan

The Sierra Nevada Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) announced the winners of its prestigious public relations and integrated communications awards during the 32nd Annual Silver Spike Awards held in the Grande Exposition Hall at the Silver Legacy Resort Casino on Nov. 1.

Board member Laurel Crossman and Public Information Officer Dan Davis, accredited public relations (APR) practitioner, for the Carson City School District, accepted a Bronze Spike Award on behalf of the Carson City School District’s Strategic Communications Plan for the 2017-18 school year.

“I’m very proud that the district has been recognized for its communication plan,” Superintendent Richard Stokes said. “Mr. Davis is a ‘department of one’ and through his expertise and effort, more people are learning about the wonderful things that are happening in our schools.”

The school district’s winning entry was submitted in the ‘Overall Campaign’ category. The category included integrated marketing communication plans, marketing, advertising and other paid media. Judges focused on the PR and MR (public relations and earned media) and related efforts, specific to brand messaging across both traditional and non-traditional communications channels and use of different promotional methods to reinforce each other.

“So many good things are occurring in Carson City’s public schools,” Crossman said. “This Bronze Spike award is a well-deserved honor for the Carson City School District.”

A total of 81 entries were submitted in more than 15 award categories. Judging was conducted by the Southeast Wisconsin Chapter of PRSA. In order to qualify for a recognition, Silver Spike Awards needed to score 95 points or higher out of a 100-point scale; Bronze Spike Awards were bestowed to those scoring between 90 and 94 points; while Awards of Excellence scored between 83 and 89 points. A minimum of two judges from the reciprocal judging chapter scored each entry. If scores were more than 10 points apart, a third judge would then score the entry. The third judge was required to be an APR.

Any communications practitioner based in Northern Nevada (Tonopah and north and east to the Utah border), the Tahoe Basin or in the Truckee Meadows including north to Susanville, California, qualified for eligibility for the awards.

The Silver Spike awards recognize communications excellence by Nevada media and public relations professionals and stellar excellence of the tactics that make communications work. Next year’s 33rd Annual Silver Spike Awards will be open to all communications and marketing professionals for programs executed between September 2018 and September 2019.