District 205 Wins 5 State Communications Awards

Submitted by Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205.

School communications professionals from across Illinois were honored recently at the Illinois School Public Relations Association’s 2015 Communications Contest Awards Luncheon.

Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 was honored with a total of five awards. Entries are judged against criteria of excellence, rather than against one another. Those achieving top scores in a variety of areas, such as design, writing and clarity of message, received awards.

Nearly 50 submitted 115 entries in the categories of annual report and newsletters, audio-video materials, websites, electronic publications, financial information, marketing materials, writing, calendars/handbooks and special purpose.

District 205 Director of Communications and Public Relations Melea Smith, along with Communications Coordinator Kathy Schroeder and freelance graphic designer Deanne Fulner, were honored with an Award of Excellence for last year’s York Distinguished Alumni Program, which highlighted the seven 2014 Dukes of Distinction.

Mrs. Schroeder and Frank Schuh, District 205 Director of Facilities, were honored with an Award of Excellence for the print publication Facilities at a Glance 2014-15.

In addition, Kathy Schroeder and Debbie Hollstein, Assistant to the Communications and Alumni Relations Office, won an Award of Excellence for York Alumni News, an e-newsletter sent to over 10,000 alumni.

Assistant Superintendent for Finance Chris Whelton, along with Mrs. Schroeder, won an Award of Merit for the 2014-15 edition of Budget at a Glance.

And finally, Melea Smith and Glen Liljeberg, President of Sunrise Communications, Inc., who videotapes the District 205 Board of Education meetings, won an Award of Merit for the 2014 Dukes of Distinction Reception in the audio/video more than 10-minutes category. Mr. Liljeberg taped, edited and posted the video as a gift to the District.