The Illinois chapter of the National School Public Relations Association, or INSPRA, presented Downers Grove Grade School District 58 with two communication awards during its annual Communications Contest award ceremony on Friday, Sept. 10. These awards recognize District 58’s exceptional communication efforts during the 2020-21 school year.
District 58 earned an Award of Excellence for its “Communicate 58” community newsletter, and an Award of Merit for its “58 Connects” staff newsletter. According to INSPRA, Awards of Merit go to outstanding entries, and Awards of Excellence represent this year's very best in Illinois school communications. “Communicate 58” was one of only two e-newsletters in the State of Illinois to earn an Award of Excellence.
The INSPRA Communications Contest annually invites school districts across Illinois to submit publications and projects for judging by a panel of communication experts. The judges use a rubric to evaluate each entry against professional communication best practices, and only the top scores receive awards.
“We are proud to recognize the winners of the 2021 Communications Contest, who have gone above and beyond to ensure effective communications in the midst of a worldwide pandemic,” INSPRA President Alex Mayster said. “The roles of school communicators have been magnified since the onset of COVID-19, and our contest winners have continued to move forward and, at times, reimagine the way communication looks to ensure their school communities are well-informed. I am so proud of the award-winning work created by our outstanding school communicators across the state of Illinois."