Welcome to part two of our conversation about NSPRA and what's ahead for school PR practitioners on the national scale. We chat with outgoing Executive DIrector Rich Bagin.

Rich Bagin, APR, is Executive Director Emeritus, of the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA). He served as NSPRA Executive director for 28 years and also served NSPRA as association director for three years prior to being appointed as its executive. Rich was a senior vice president for two marketing communication firms in the Washington, D.C. area and also as communication director for the Council of Chief State School Officers, based in D.C.

Prior to arriving in Washing ton, Rich was the communication professional for a suburban school district in the Philadelphia area for eight years. He began his career as a secondary school English teacher in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and he also served as president of the Pennsylvania School Public Relations Association (PenSPRA). Rich has authored five books and numerous articles about all facets of school public relations. And he also began NSPRA’s communication audit service during his earlier days at NSPRA.

Rich can be reached at [email protected] or at 301-519-0496 through February 2021.

Music: “Hip Jazz,” Bensound.com

All other content ©2020, NCSPRA.

Join co-hosts Stacia Harris (Buncombe County Schools) and Ken Derksen (Wayne Co. Public Schools) for an exciting two-part focus on school PR trends across the country. For this insight, we turn to two NSPRA legends. Lesley Bruinton and Rich Bagin!

In part 1 of 2, we chat with Lesley Bruinton. Lesley Bruinton inspires others through her leadership in school communications. She is an Accredited in Public Relations practitioner with more than 18 years of professional experience. The former television journalist now serves as the public relations coordinator for the Tuscaloosa City (Ala.) Schools—an urban district with more than 10,000 students.

Lesley is the president-elect of the National School Public Relations Association and a two-time past president of the Alabama School Public Relations Association. She is a 2020 AASA Women in School Leadership Award winner and a three-time NSPRA Gold Medallion winner— most recently in 2020, for her work on the Tuscaloosa City Schools ELEVATE Dual Enrollment Scholarship program, part of the city's efforts to close the achievement gap between students of differing ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Find Lesley on LinkedIn or Twitter @lesleybruinton or her blog https://modernretropr.wordpress.com/

Music: “Hip Jazz,” Bensound.com

All other content ©2020, NCSPRA.

Welcome to Episode 9 of School PR Drive Time! In this show from November 16, 2020, co-hosts Kevin Smith (Transylvania County Schools) and Ellen Boyd (Executive Director, NCSPRA) enjoy a conversation uniting friends and colleagues around a topic that brought them together 20 years ago.

Superintendent Scott Elliott of Watauga County Schools and Susan Allred, author and consultant with 45 years of educational experience in NC, SC, and KY, crossed paths as Scott was first becoming an administrator in the 1990s. What they have each learned over the intervening years about the art and science of Continuous Improvement is the subject of this episode.

From learning about systems thinking (PDSA, similar to the RPIE model for PR best practices) they also explore how strong relationships with students build capacity and raise the bar for excellence. They describe the process of overcoming fear, and acquiring the boldness required by leaders to take risks for the sake of growth. All important topics for every stakeholder in our public schools!

Music: “Hip Jazz,” Bensound.com

All other content ©2020, NCSPRA.

In this episode of School PR Drive Time, co-hosts Stacia Harris (Buncombe County Schools) and Molly McGowan Gorsuch (Henderson Co. Public Schools) enjoy a conversation with Andrea Gribble, founder and CEO of Social School 4 EDU. Andrea’s passion is helping schools recognize their daily awesomeness and sharing that story with the world. She’s built a team that celebrates hundreds of schools across the country! #SocialSchool4EDU provides full social media management, personally coaches social media teams and individuals, and offers a vibrant online community that provides ongoing professional development for school social media champions.

Helpful Blog – Controlling Comments on Facebook

https://www.socialschool4edu.com/controlling-comments-on-facebook/

Website – www.socialschool4edu.com

Free Video Series – socialschool4edu.com/secrets

Follow me on Twitter - @AndreaGribble

Music: “Hip Jazz,” Bensound.com

Release date:

09 November 2020

Join co-hosts Stacia Harris (Buncombe Co. Schools) and Molly McGowan Gorsuch (Henderson Co. Public Schools) for a conversation with Holly Holland. Holly is the PIO for Calcasieu Parish Schools in Lake Charles, LA

which was hit with a pandemic, then two major back-to-back hurricanes. It’s a stark reminder that natural disasters don’t share a calendar with other global crises – and can affect school communications at any time.

Music: “Hip Jazz,” Bensound.com

Release date:

31 October 2020

When parents stand up for public schools—and work to hold their schools accountable as well—what does that look like? Hear from two experts in Pitt County, North Carolina, who know firsthand.

Program host Kevin Smith (PIO, Transylvania County Schools) spoke with guest host Jennifer Johnson (PIO, Pitt County Schools) and special guest Kylene Dibble (Exec Dir, PPSPC) to discuss how far a partnership between parents and public schools can extend.

When the pandemic placed a critical focus on building bridges through communication in spring 2020, years of building positive relationships paid back huge dividends that continue to grow and grow as students return to schools in Pitt County.

Parent voice, when it carries over authentically to the leadership of public schools, helps to make sure the school system's goals are carried forward by the whole community. The subject of our program is the collaboration of Parents for Public Schools of Pitt County and Pitt County Schools, made tangible through Parent Engagement Programs, school tours, and community conversations.

Their mission also cuts close to the heart of a #SchoolPR professional's work: "Parents for Public Schools of Pitt County advances the role of families and communities in securing a high quality public education for each child."

Learn more and see PPSPC programs in action on Facebook and their website, or contact Executive Director Kylene Dibble directly.

PPSPC on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ppspittcounty

PPSPC website: www.ppspittcounty.org

Email: [email protected]

The national organization is on the web at parents4publicschools.org.

Music: "Hip Jazz," bensound.com, all other content © 2020, NCSPRA

Co-hosts Ken Derksen (Wayne Co. Schools) and Stacia Harris (Buncombe Co. Schools) on the NCSPRA board chat with Dr. Clumpner about school safety and security during the disruptions of a pandemic, as well as how protests and civil unrest affect our school day.

Dr. Mike Clumpner is the President and Chief Executive Officer at Threat Suppression, Incorporated. He is a 28-year veteran of public safety, with 25 years’ experience as a career firefighter/paramedic, and 10 years’ experience as a law enforcement officer.

Mike has undergraduate degrees in fire science, paramedicine, and business administration. He has a master’s degree in business administration from Elon University and a PhD in homeland security policy from Northcentral University. Mike has researched active shooter and terrorist events since 2005, accumulating more than 25,000 hours of personal research, and serves as a counter-terrorism advisor for the Department of Defense, Department of Justice, and Department of Homeland Security.

E-Mail: [email protected]

https://www.twitter.com/threatsuppress

https://www.facebook.com/ThreatSuppression

Additional takeaways from our conversation:

Mental health is very important right now for both students and staff. Make sure adequate resources are available to both. The administration should initiate the conversation and not wait for people to come to ask for help.

The school safety and security landscape is forever changing. School districts need to make sure they are involving their local law enforcement, fire departments, and EMS agencies into the school safety discussion. At a minimum, districts should meet with public safety leadership quarterly to discuss any pertinent issues.

Do not reinvent the wheel. Use other school district leaders to help guide your district with creating crisis policies and procedures. In many cases, you will prevent making costly mistakes by implementing misguided policies.

Be wary of companies trying to sell you school safety and security products. Many “security” products do not work and often violate fire code or the American with Disabilities Act. Before making large purchases, make sure that your local public safety leadership has the opportunity to provide feedback.

Music: “Hip Jazz,” Bensound.com

Welcome to episode 4 of School PR DriveTime, a podcast produced by NCSPRA about driving the narrative forward for public education through the work of school PR professionals.

Today we are chatting with Kristin Magette. She’s an award-winning public relations professional and advocate for service, strategic communications, and collaboration.

We covered topics surrounding the #k12prwell movement focused on wellness and self-care. Below are some great extra resources that Kristin recommended.

We do want to include this disclaimer that if you or a colleague seems to be truly struggling during this uncertain time, please seek professional help.

■ When Passion Leads to Burnout | Harvard Business Review

https://hbr.org/2019/07/when-passion-leads-to-burnout

■ How to Fix a Major Cause of Employee Burnout | Great Place to Work

https://www.greatplacetowork.com/resources/blog/how-to-fix-a-major-cause-of-employee-burnout

■ Real Talk about Self Care | Thought Catalog

https://thoughtcatalog.com/brianna-wiest/2017/11/this-is-what-self-care-really-means-because-its-not-all-salt-baths-and-

Learn more: http://kristinmagette.com/

Music: “Hip Jazz,” Bensound.com

Welcome to the School PR Drive Time podcast brought to you by NCSPRA, the North Carolina School Public Relations Association. This podcast brings relevant and unique insight into the world of school public relations.

In Episode 3, Kevin Smith discusses the role of strategic communications during the pandemic and the road ahead Dr. Bev Emory and Jessica Swencki, with guest commentator Ken Derksen

Dr. Emory and Jessica are leaders within the NC Department of Public Instruction who built on extensive experience in the classroom and Public Information Officer roles, and speak powerfully and personally about the contribution of #SchoolPR professionals to strategic outcomes in public education.

Dr. Beverly Emory is Deputy Superintendent for School Support after serving in educational leadership from the classroom to the PIO's office in Ohio and North Carolina. She most recently served a local district as Superintendent in Winston Salem/Forsyth County Schools.

https://sites.google.com/dpi.nc.gov/rcm/home

Jessica Swencki is the District and Regional Case Manager for the Sandhills Region in the NC Department of Public Instruction, after serving as an educational leader in Brunswick County Schools, Pender County Schools, and UNC-Wilmington. Jessica serves on the NCSPRA Board of Directors.

https://sites.google.com/dpi.nc.gov/rcm/regions/sandhills-region

Don't forget to follow NCSPRA on social media: @NCSPRA

Music: "Hip Jazz," Bensound.com

Welcome to the School PR Drive Time podcast brought to you by the North Carolina School Public Relations Association. This podcast brings relevant and unique insight into the world of school public relations.

Join co-hosts Stacia Harris and Ellen Boyd as we explore the power of storytelling with our guest Jennifer Moxley. Jennifer is the owner and founder of Sunshine Media Network based in Charlotte.

Jennifer Moxley's media training, crisis management and storymaking have helped at companies such as Ferrari, Duke Energy, and Marriott, but she spends most of her time working with women and minority entrepreneurs and experts so their stories are told and heard on national platforms. For education clients she has done video projects, media training and, during Covid, she's helped educators set up their home classrooms because better video means increased student engagement. www.sunshinemedianetwork.com or on IG @sunshinemedianetwork

Don't forget to follow NCSPRA on social media: @NCSPRA

Music: "Hip Jazz," Bensound.com