The Spring ISD Communications Office represented by, from left, Director Karen Garrison, Chief Communications Officer Tiffany Dunne-Oldfield, Communications Officer Sylvia Wood and Multimedia Coordinator Kristen Cobb earned 40 Star Awards from the Texas School Public Relations Association (TSPRA).
HOUSTON – March 2, 2020 – The Spring ISD Communications Office was recognized with 40 Star Awards from the Texas School Public Relations Association (TSPRA) for excellence in school communications during the 2018-19 school year, including a Crystal Certificate of Merit for photography highlighting the faces of Spring ISD.
The awards were presented Wednesday night during the 2020 TSPRA Annual Conference Star Awards Banquet in Austin. Every year, the Texas School Public Relations Association recognizes and honors exceptional work in print, electronic and visual communications. Besides the Crystal Certificate of Merit, Spring ISD was awarded a Best of Category award, 21 Gold Stars, 12 Silver Stars, and five Bronze Stars.
“Our team feels privileged to be able to tell the stories of the extraordinary students and staff here in Spring ISD,” said Chief Communications Officer Tiffany Dunne-Oldfield. “There are great things going on in the district and we love sharing those stories across our community and the greater Houston area. We also love ensuring that parents and staff can easily access the information they need to help their students be successful. Of course, we are able to do this work because we are fully supported by a Board and Superintendent who understand the importance of effective communications.”
Judges evaluated more than 1,600 submissions statewide and determined the winners based on criteria set by TSPRA. School districts were judged among three separate categories: less than 10,000 students, 10,000 to 30,000 students, and more than 30,000 students. With its enrollment of about 35,000 students, Spring ISD was compared against the state’s largest school districts.
For the Crystal Certificate of Merit, Spring ISD was honored for a photography portfolio highlighting both students and staff. The judges, in their comments, described the work as excellent: “All of the shots tell a story, they’re creatively done, and very engaging. Overall, great composition, exposure balance, and use of depth of field.”
The judges also gave a Best of Category award in the specialty/novelty writing division, noting “excellent attention to detail” in the entry.
The Texas School Public Relations Association (TSPRA) is a nonprofit, professional organization dedicated to promoting public schools through effective communications. TSPRA, an award winning chapter of the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA), was chartered in 1962 and incorporated in 1977. With more than 900 members, TSPRA is comprised primarily of public information and communications professionals who serve the public school districts and education organizations of Texas.