Madison Reporter

The Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) has received multiple accolades from the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA), recognizing its achievements in school public relations, communication, marketing, and engagement. In the 2024 National School Communication Awards, MMSD staff were honored with a Golden Achievement Award and eight Publication and Digital Media Excellence Awards. According to NSPRA, this year saw a record number of entries across both award programs.

“This recognition highlights the important role of school communications professionals to ensure accurate, transparent and engaging information is shared with our community,” said Edell Fiedler, MMSD’s senior executive director of communications. “Our team is dedicated to supporting MMSD staff, students and families through the work we do and keeping the community informed about what is happening at the district.”

NSPRA’s Golden Achievement Award acknowledges exceptional strategic work in all aspects of school public relations, communication, marketing, and engagement. Each entry is judged individually based on strategic best practices, good writing, and adherence to the RPIE (research, plan, implement, evaluate) strategic process. This year, there were 107 Golden Achievement Awards presented nationwide; MMSD was one of only two school districts in Wisconsin to receive this honor.

The district earned a Golden Achievement Award for its “5 to Thrive Mental Health and Well-Being” campaign. This initiative was launched in 2023 in collaboration with CEL Marketing PR Design to enhance awareness and access to school-based mental health services. Branded as “5 to Thrive,” the campaign aimed to simplify messaging, increase resource awareness, and improve student access to mental health support for over 25,000 students and 6,380 staff members. The initiative involved collaboration between MMSD's mental health and communications teams to streamline processes and provide comprehensive toolkits for school staff.

Additionally, MMSD’s communication department received several honors in NSPRA’s Publication and Digital Media Excellence Awards program. These awards recognize outstanding educational materials such as publications, newsletters, videos, podcasts, websites, social media content, among others.

The district’s recognized works include:

Award of Excellence:

- Excellence in Writing:

- "An Education for Generations: How Maria Del Rosario Covarrubias Impacted MMSD"

- "Senior Spotlight: Tomas Gonzalez Reflects on Childhood in Chile as he Heads to Harvard"

- "Facilities and Funding Fueling Future Referenda Considerations"

- Newsletter: "MMSD Connect"

- Video (produced in-house):

- "MMSD's Tyrone Reese Adds Flavor to School Meals, One Dish at a Time"

- "A Custodian's Three Decades of Dedication Creates Family at Nuestro Mundo"

Award of Merit:

- Video (produced in-house): "Amid Bus Driver Shortage," MMSD Principal Goes an Extra Mile

Honorable Mention:

- Annual Report: 2022-2023 Annual Report

NSPRA is a professional organization serving individuals working primarily within school districts and educational agencies across the country. Each year more than 100 experienced communication professionals volunteer as judges for NSPRA's National School Communication Awards contest using established criteria based on industry best practices. A complete list of this year’s award winners can be found on the NSPRA website.