Livingston Schools Receive Award For Getting The Word Out

LIVINGSTON, NJ — Which events and initiatives are coming up in the Livingston schools? What are the students and teachers achieving? Parents like to be informed. And a statewide organization says Livingston is on the right track at getting the word out.

The New Jersey School Public Relations Association (NJSPRA) named Livingston Public Schools a winner in the Newsletter category of the 2023 School Communications Award Contest.

LPS Spotlight, the district’s bi-montly electronic publication, received third place honors.

The 2023 contest was the most competitive on record, with 102 submissions from 41 different school districts. The submissions for the 2023 School Communication Awards were judged by a panel of 18 judges from nine states including experienced and award-winning school communications professionals and professors from Rowan University.

The district’s manager of communications, Michelle Bent, creates the newsletter, which is sent to all LPS parents, staff members, and students, as well as to members of the Livingston community at-large, by request.

“The goal of the district newsletter is to keep stakeholders informed about upcoming events, district initiatives, student and staff achievements, and relevant township news," Bent said. "To capture and hold reader attention, I aim to include a variety of mediums within the newsletter, including short articles, photos and videos, as well as links to the district website."

The NJSPRA School Communication Awards were developed to recognize professional school communicators in New Jersey and the products they develop that go above and beyond to disseminate important messages to their various stakeholders.

“Congratulations to Michelle Bent for setting the standard for effective school communications here in New Jersey,” said Paul Zeller, Director of Technology and Communication at Pascack Valley Regional High School District and president of NJSPRA.

“Effective communication helps to keep schools connected to their communities," Bent said. "I am grateful that each day I get to use my own unique combination of skills to contribute to the larger mission of our district and to highlight the value of the community's investment. Thank you to NJSPRA for recognizing these efforts."

Awards are given out in eight different categories: Newsletter; Marketing, Branding, Image; Media Relations-Human Interest; Photography; Social Media; Special Interest Publication; Video; and Website. For a complete list of winners, visit www.njspra.com.

The New Jersey School Public Relations Association (NJSPRA) is a state chapter of the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA).

How To Get School Information

See the Livingston School District Website for information, a calendar, and stories about students achievements here.

(Want to get a free daily email at 6 a.m. each morning with Livingston news, including school news? You can put your email into Livingston Patch here.)