Awards_Bylaws_Public Records Group

We are extremely proud that Tahira Stalberte, APR of Union County Public Schools is our 2025 School Communicator of the Year. We presented the award during our Blue Ribbon Awards ceremony on April 11th.

The School Communicator of the Year award is the highest individual honor presented annually by NCSPRA. It recognizes an outstanding member for excellence in the field of school communications. Judges evaluate the candidates in the areas of Leadership, Communication, Professionalism, and Community Involvement.

Tahira Stalberte, APR represents the very best of our profession. She has been a communications leader in some of NC's largest school districts: Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Durham Public Schools, Guilford County Schools, and now Union County Public Schools. She has led successful bond campaigns, increased family and community engagement, served on the NCSPRA Board of Directors, earned numerous state and national awards, and been a passionate advocate for students, educators, and public education. She also has given back to her community and her profession.

Tahira will now be considered for NSPRA's National School Communicator of the Year Award, which will be presented in Washington, D.C. in July.

You can read more about Tahira and view photos from the awards presentation here.

We love showcasing and celebrating the excellence of our members. During our Blue Ribbon Awards ceremony on April 11th, we honored 35 school districts for their remarkable work during 2024. The 35 districts earned a total of 334 Blue Ribbon Awards, with more than half of the awards being at the gold level. We also presented our annual Best of the Best awards to honor the overall best entry in each of our eight categories. The 2024 Best of the Best winners were:

• Digital Media Engagement: Pender County Schools
• Excellence in Writing: Orange County Schools
• Image/Graphic Design: Catawba County Schools
• Marketing: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
• Photography: Burke County Schools
• Publications (Electronic & Print): Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
• Special Events/Programs: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
• Electronic Media: Surry County Schools

Click here to access the Best of the Best winning entries, see the full list of winners, and view the photo gallery from the event.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF OUR 2024 BLUE RIBBON AWARD WINNERS!

Our partners at the NC Association of School Administrators (NCASA) honored the superintendents of 11 western NC school districts for their outstanding response in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. NCASA presented the superintendents with the 2025 Raymond Sarbaugh Leadership Award. The districts received the award for the unprecedented actions they took after Hurricane Helene to support their students and communities. You can read the full news release from NCASA here.

We join NCASA in saluting these superintendents and all of the educators in their districts!

The UNC School of Government has launched a brand new group to provide support and resources related to public records requests. The group is designed for government professionals whose regular responsibilities include public records-related tasks such as responding to requests and handling retention. The first meeting of the group will be held via Zoom on June 11th at 12:00 noon. For more information, including how to join the meeting, please click here.

Our annual Board of Directors election is this month. All members (except retiree members) are eligible to vote and will receive a ballot by email on Thursday, April 17. Here is a link to the candidate profiles that you may review prior to voting. The deadline to submit your completed ballot will be Monday, April 28th at 5:00 p.m.

We have posted NCSPRA's revised bylaws on our website. NCSPRA members voted overwhelmingly in favor of the proposed changes, with 98% of respondents voting to approve the updates. However, before the bylaws could take effect, we needed to get approval from the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA). The NSPRA board has now approved our bylaws, so our revised bylaws are official. You may view the bylaws by clicking here.

Our friends at SCNSPRA have set the dates for our joint fall conference. Here is the information they have sent about the conference:

We’re excited to share that SCNSPRA will host the 2025 Joint Fall Conference in partnership with our friends at NCSPRA in Hilton Head, SC!

Conference Dates: November 3–5, 2025
Location: The Beach House, 1 South Forest Beach Drive, Hilton Head Island, SC
www.beachhousehhi.com

Join us for a one-of-a-kind experience on the South Carolina coast, where school PR professionals from across both states will come together for collaboration, professional growth, and a little coastal inspiration.

Room block details, registration, and session information will be shared this summer.

We can’t wait to welcome you to our amazing Hilton Head!

All of the information included in this newsletter is also available at ncspra.org

NCSPRA is an Exemplary Chapter of the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA). For three 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.