October 23, 2026

In this edition:

- Blue Ribbon Awards - Registration Begins

- Fall Conference UPDATE and AGENDA

- NCSPRA Represents on a National Stage

- DON'T FORGET! RENEW YOUR NCSPRA MEMBERSHIP

2026 Blue Ribbon Awards - Submission Emails Coming Soon

We are excited to honor your outstanding work with our 2026 Blue Ribbon Awards program. Please let us know how many entries you plan to submit by completing this form. After we receive your form, we will email you an invoice. The entry fee for this year's Blue Ribbon Awards is $45 per submission. You can see the categories and their descriptions here. We will also email you all of this.

The entry submission window for the annual NCSPRA Blue Ribbon Awards will run from Monday, November 2 to Friday, December 4, 2026. This is for work completed between November 1, 2025 and October 31, 2026. We are once again using OpenWater for all of your submissions. This helps streamline the process and moves things along smoothly.

Soon, you will receive an email with instructions for submitting your entries.

Next year's Blue Ribbon Awards Ceremony will take place on Friday, February 12, 2027 at the Guilford County Schools Community Education Center. Once again, a special thanks to GCS for their generous offer to host us!

The NCSPRA/SCNSPRA Fall Conference is Almost Here!

Click here to see the full agenda for the 2026 NCSPRA/SCNSPRA Fall Conference.

When you arrive, you'll receive a link to a full program that will also include the agenda. We look forward to seeing you in Wilmington!

Fun Run/Walk along the River Hosted By Edlio!

Edlio will be one of the sponsors at this year's conference. They're planning a Fun Run/Walk on Thursday morning. Be sure to sign up!

Thursday, November 12th at 6:30 a.m.

Join us for a sunrise walk or run along the downtown Wilmington Riverwalk on Thursday morning of the conference. Edlio is also inviting members to dinner Wednesday night.

SIGN UP HERE AND GET MORE DETAILS.

HOTEL

The Embassy Suites Riverfront in Wilmington, NC has CLOSED registration for rooms in the NCSPRA/SCNSPRA block.

Many district finance offices may require a Credit Card Authorization Form from the hotel. If so, you can download it HERE. Find out if your district requires it and fill it out now if needed. Not having this can cause a major delay at check-in. You can email the completed form to frontdesk@embassywilmington.com or the front office manager, Patrick.heckler@embassywilmington.com.

Members Help Out on a National Stage

A big shout out to two of our members presenting for NSPRA in a variety of ways.

On November 6, Bailey Little of Watauga County Schools will present at the NSPRA Academy. She will take part in the Strategic Communications area with "Communicating to Students: Cocreating Voice with Authentic Storytelling." Bailey is also an NCSPRA Board Member!

On December 9, Reggie Hines of Pitt County Schools will present in an NSPRA Mini Lab webinar "Choosing the Right Photo." Reggie is also presenting at our Fall Conference next month.

Congratulations, Bailey and Reggie! Thanks for being such great representatives of NCSPRA.

VIRTUAL MEETUPS

This is a new way for members to connect throughout the year. The next meetup is scheduled for Thursday, December 17 at 10 a.m. We'll send a calendar invitation and a Zoom link closer to the event.

There will be no Virtual Meetup in November because of the NCSPRA-SCNSPRA Fall Conference.

RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP OR JOIN NCSPRA HERE!

Invest in your future today! Be sure to renew your NCSPRA membership here. If you are coming to the conference, you have to finish your membership registration first!

As a new school year approaches, it's vital to make sure you're prepared for everything that comes your way. That means renewing your membership in NCSPRA! As an NSPRA Exemplary Chapter, NCSPRA will make sure you have the resources to respond to crises, controversies, mandates, public records requests, social media storms, legislative curveballs, funding cuts, enrollment challenges, attacks on public education, parent issues, and more. We also will make sure you get the recognition and support you deserve through our awards and scholarship programs. You won't want to face the year ahead without NCSPRA's support, resources, and expertise at your fingertips.

Even as our member benefits increase, our dues remain the same. Membership is only $125 for the first person from each organization, and $50 for each additional person. It's the best investment you can make to ensure that you and your colleagues are ready to face the challenges ahead.

Spring Leadership Retreat at NCCAT

Our Spring Leadership Retreat will be at NCCAT in Cullowhee, NC. Mark your calendars for Thursday and Friday April 15 & 16, 2027 and join us in the mountains of North Carolina for two great days of professional development. There will be a limited number of spaces. We will send out registration information and more details in the new year.

KNOW SOMEONE WHO NEEDS TO JOIN NCSPRA?

Do you have colleagues in neighboring districts who should join NCSPRA? Tell them about us! We want our chapter to be not only the best, but the most active in the country! Share details with those who may not be part of our chapter, but who could benefit from the camaraderie and professional development. Tell them to sign up here.

NCSPRA is an Exemplary Chapter of the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA). For five consecutive years, NCSPRA has been honored with the prestigious Mark of Distinction Award for delivering outstanding professional development to members and to school PR professionals throughout the country.

October 23, 2026