Copperas Cove ISD Communications Department collects 27 awards at state conference
Special to the Leader-Press
In the same spirit of the world Olympic Games, school communicators across Texas competed for gold, silver, and bronze medals at the Texas School Public Relations Conference in Fort Worth.
Nearly 1,700 works of school communications from written news releases to video stories to special events competed for not just the bronze, silver, and gold awards but also for the coveted Crystal Awards which honor the very best work among school communicators across Texas.
TSPRA Programs Manager Janet Crock said the number of entries vying for the awards this year was tremendous.
“We had one of the highest number of entries this year with 1,692 submissions,” Crock said. “In some categories, the work was so good that there were several gold medals awarded. Then the judges had to decide which was the best of the best.”
The Copperas Cove ISD Communications Department, under the leadership of director Wendy Sledd, captured 27 awards for the district including 13 gold medals, four silver medals, four bronze awards, and four Best of Show Awards and a coveted Crystal Award of Merit in the category of Staff and Student Recognition highlighting the district’s Special Education program and a Crystal Commendation Award in the category of School/Community Partnership for the district’s partnership with the Miss Five Hills Scholarship Program.
“Communication is key to all successful relationships including CCISD’s relationship with its stakeholders,” Sledd said. “For our district to win top honors in the state signaled to me that we are communicating well with our families and the community. Of course, there is always room for improvement, and I will always strive to do my best work.”
Sledd is no stranger to winning medals at the state conference. Since beginning her employment with CCISD in 2014, Sledd has won a total of 123 medals on behalf of the school district including more than a dozen Best of Show awards, two Crystal Awards of Merit, and a Crystal Commendation Award.