Nine Schools Receive FCPS School Communications Awards
Fairfax County Public Schools presented nine schools with awards for outstanding school communications at the third annual School Communicators Conference held January 29 by the Office of Communications.
The 2024 Awards of Communication Excellence celebrate the creation of excellent websites, newsletters, and social media content that inform and engage readers. The winners are examples of the substantial talent that exists among the community of FCPS school communicators.
Newsletters
Schools were judged on their family newsletters sent through FCPS’ News You Choose platform. They were judged for consistency, engagement, creativity, writing, accessibility, and other best practices.
Falls Church Academy, Jill Burrer
Falls Church Academy has great, simple, consistent branding. The academy’s mission is front and center of each newsletter. They’ve done a great job with cross-promotion by sharing the Top 10 best things about Falls Church Academy in their newsletter. The photos they feature are always fantastic and engaging, highlighting their exciting programs.
Weyanoke Elementary School, Felicia Usher accepted on behalf of Erin Hughey
Weyanoke Elementary School’s newsletters consistently have the cutest, engaging photos leading each issue! The informational blurbs are written clearly and concisely. It is rare to find a flyer in their newsletter, but when there is one, they also include accessible text. Similarly, they use bulleted lists for spirit weeks instead of graphic calendars that aren’t as readable.
Weyanoke publishes in both English and Spanish, working closely with their family liaison to translate articles. Weyanoke’s Newsletter Editor Erin Hughey also subscribes to many communications across the division to ensure her school is getting all the up-to-date information it needs.
Websites
The Best of the Web award was granted to schools that have websites featuring innovative and creative content that is up-to-date, easy to read, accessible, and informative.
Chantilly High School, Amy Goodloe and Emily Phelan
The Chantilly High School website impresses with dedicated pages highlighting its unique programs, such as its Special Education Secondary Transition Employment (STEP) program, Innovation Lab, and Writing Center. The school’s administration page has professional, welcoming photos of school leadership, each wearing a shade of the school’s primary color (Chantilly loves their purple!), along with the duties and responsibilities of each administrator, with links to pages they support. The site repeats this theme with its Student Services staff page.
Their curriculum fair page provides YouTube videos of many of the core and elective courses, piquing student interest as they think about which classes they want to take each year. Its inviting military families page welcomes new families to the community, providing them with a host of resources to acquaint them with their new school, community, and division.
Whitman Middle School, Harmony Tahy
Notable aspects of the Walt Whitman Middle School site include designated spaces for its AVID, IBMYP (IB Middle Years Program), and Pollinator Meadow Seeding programs and its Ignite partnership.
Through its written features, such as Wildcat Multicultural Family Night, Community Clean-Up Day, and Middle School Athletics, the website celebrates its diverse cultural backgrounds, the importance of giving back to the community, and the power of student opportunity.
Their features directly address questions of what, how, and why through organized written text and beautiful photo galleries, showing the school’s dedication to community engagement and the importance of recognition. The website's use of taxonomies for its events lets viewers quickly see the school’s many happenings, filterable by topics.
Annandale Terrace Elementary, Candice Raynor, Ashley Ireland, Ingrid Badia, Nicole Scher
The Annandale Terrace Elementary School website shines as a community engagement hub, consistently keeping families informed with a translatable, web-responsive, and accessible family handbook webpage. Its Come Work With Us page — which has an embedded video of staff saying why their school is a fantastic place to work — offers a warm and inviting glimpse into the school community while supporting staff recruitment efforts. The site spotlights art, music, physical education, and other specials, giving viewers a glimpse of what students learn in each grade throughout the year.
Bryant High School, Carrington Beasley, Florence Pipi Harrison, and Karen Hertel
The Bryant High School website fosters a sense of belonging through pages highlighting student and staff achievement. The site stands out with its focus on spotlighting its specialized courses, personalized learning experiences, and post-secondary readiness, allowing students and families to see their welcoming and positive approach to preparing students with nontraditional paths to high school graduation.
As rolling admission is more common at Bryant, the school provides a welcoming student registration page, providing the necessary resources and contacts to help make enrollment seamless.
Social Media
Best in social media awards are being presented to schools that post frequently, consistently, and creatively; follow best practices, and engage their followers.
Annandale High School, Jen Cory, Jae Lee, and Shawn DeRose
The Annandale High School social media presence on Instagram and Facebook truly makes their diverse community shine. Inclusivity is part of their brand, and you can definitely feel that on their social media accounts, with posts highlighting Inclusion Revolution Week and future Atoms. Their speed tour reel, led by Principal Shawn DeRose, was a trendy way to help students navigate the school. It effectively showcased key areas of the campus while consistently featuring pictures of students, adding a personal and relatable touch. During college recruiting season, the Annandale team advertised college visits in an eye-catching way to get students’ attention.
Columbia Elementary School, Sarah Boudart, Shannon Dumont, Mike Astudillo
Columbia’s social media is visually amazing, exciting, and always on brand. Their thoughtful approach to capturing photos and videos shines through Columbia's social media presence on Instagram and Facebook.
Each post has their #SmallSchoolBigHeart hashtag, and the content reflects that sense of community and caring. The videography and photography are stunning — the kids and staff always look so happy to be there! The content gives us a glimpse into the positive school culture, while also showing us what students are learning.
Even when there is no specific topic, they are sure to post a cute photo and a positive message, “It’s another GREAT day to be a Columbia Cougar!”
Best in Show
To be recognized as Best in Show, a school must meet (or exceed) ALL of the previous categories' standards.
Woodson High School (pictured at the top of the page) Kevin Greata, Anne Baker, Erinn Harris, and Alexa Pugnetti
The @WoodsonHS Instagram/Facebook account elevates school spirit with student voice at the center. Since August, their follower count has increased by 44%. The principal is involved in their social media posts, and followers get to see and learn more about him and his personality in a fun way.
Their social media feed is full of stories and celebrations. At Woodson, students come to school to learn, take risks, build friendships, and get involved with after-school clubs and activities. The Follow Friday series highlights one club or athletic account per week to share about the club’s impact and boost participation. They also love to have fun with it by embracing some trends to share about projects happening in classrooms.
The Woodson High School website stands out as a well-designed, community-friendly place that reflects the school’s dedication to community engagement. What truly sets the Woodson website apart is its emphasis on celebrating the achievements and activities of its students and staff. The site features sections that spotlight academic accomplishments, athletic successes, and artistic endeavors, showcasing the vibrant and well-rounded community at Woodson High School. By combining clear communication, accessible resources, and a celebration of school pride, the Woodson High School website serves as an essential tool for fostering engagement and collaboration within the school community.
The Woodson Weekly Newsletter brings joy to the community by utilizing approachable language and lots of pictures of students. The photos are engaging and featured throughout the newsletter, encouraging readers to always scroll through to the very end to see if someone they know was featured that week.
Recognizing that not everyone can be reached through a single medium, each newsletter issue also features the Weekly Wrap-Up Podcast — a 3-4 minute audio update available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. The team working on communications at Woodson collaborates throughout the week to decide what goes in the newsletter and podcast, and the principal records the podcast himself, lending a truly authentic voice to the podcast.
