Hampton City Schools earns national recognition for branding artwork and videos

The public relations and marketing department of Hampton City Schools received one award of excellence (the highest recognition), one award of merit, and four honorable mentions from the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) 2023 Publications and Digital Media Awards program. NSPRA’s Publications and Digital Media Excellence Awards recognize outstanding education publications, e-newsletters, digital media programs, radio/TV/video programs, social media, infographics, blogs and websites.

The award of excellence award was received in the digital media video category for:

Hampton City Schools - Class of 2022 Graduation Videos

Hampton Seniors - https://youtu.be/3RWX1ky0_5w

Kecoughtan Seniors - https://youtu.be/N5tuCu9YbOk

Phoebus Seniors - https://youtu.be/mqMddhjtOZk

Bethel Seniors - https://youtu.be/nZA42wcyLT0

These four videos were originally created to present at our four high school graduation ceremonies with the target audience of our students and their families at the forefront. Each student “host” was provided a script that was written by our television staff. The division’s television crew then recorded the videos and edited each. The purpose was to not only congratulate the graduating class but also use student voice to spotlight their transformations over the past four years. Each of our four high school graduations began with their respective video. Each of the videos were then shared on social media after the graduations.

HCS also received the award of merit in the digital media video award category for the 2022 Back to School video. The purpose of this video was to welcome back our students and staff to the 2022-2023 school year, and capture the energy around how BRIGHT this upcoming year will be as we continue to work together on this journey of academic excellence for every child, every day, whatever it takes. To spotlight our BRIGHT theme, we created a video where our superintendent, administrators, teachers, and support staff put on their sunglasses and packaged the BRIGHTNESS of the upcoming year. We then had our school division “delivery” driver drive throughout the city and drop off these back-to-school welcome packages to students. Before students opened their package, they were advised to put on some shades before opening. It was a great way to convey the message of “The Year is Going to Bright.” We debuted the video on social media (Facebook and Twitter) the Friday before the opening of school as well as distributed the video through a welcome back message from the superintendent to all families and staff through our communication platform.

Two of the honorable mentions were received in the digital media video category. They are:

Hampton City Schools - Weapons Detection K9s

In March of 2022, Hampton City Schools (HCS) added an additional layer to our division's safety and security measures - our partnership with American K-9 Interdiction, LLC. Previously, HCS worked with our Hampton Police Division when needed to utilize weapon detection canines in our schools. To implement a stronger proactive approach and utilize weapons detection canines in our schools on a regular, scheduled basis, the division contracted with American K-9 Interdiction, LLC. 

This video was created to help inform our families about this new safety strategy as well as provide more information. We included the video in a safety message we sent to all families in May 2022 via our communication platform. We shared it on social media and ran it on our school division’s TV station. We were also able to share this with local media as they were asking for interviews and school visits. This continues to be a resource for us as we regularly communicate with families and the community at large about the systems we have in place in regard to safety and security.  

Hampton City Schools - Title I Community Partnerships

Hampton City Schools Title I Family Engagement program strives to build comprehensive partnerships by providing a variety of opportunities for schools, families, and communities to work together. These partnerships allow us to connect families and school staff with resources and activities that help to empower, encourage, engage, and keep them connected to the community.

Over 150 Title I community partners greatly enhance the educational experience of our scholars through their donations, contributions, and ongoing support throughout the school year. It is with the support of great partnerships that we are able to provide a variety of services in addition to the resources and support provided by the school division and the HCS Title I Program.

Our family engagement specialists work diligently to build and sustain relationships with faith-based partners, civic and social organizations, and local businesses in an effort to help students and their families academically, socially, and emotionally. Schools, communities, and parents/families must work collaboratively to improve the learning experience of all children, so it is necessary to work collectively to achieve this goal. 

As a way to show our appreciation, during the week of May 16, 2022, Hampton City Schools (HCS) recognized our Title I community partners and their valuable contributions to our Title I schools. Several activities were planned at the school level as well as divisionwide. One way we spotlighted our partnerships was creating a Title I Community Partnerships video. 

We shared this video on YouTube as well as social media. Our Title I team was also able to use this video as they were seeking new partnerships and onboarded new partners.

An honorable mention was received for the Ann H. Kilgore wall art. On July 1, 2021, five schools in Hampton officially changed names following a School Board vote on May 12, 2021. One of the schools changed from Spratley Gifted Center to the Ann H. Kilgore Gifted Center – the home of the seahawks. Ann H. Kilgore served as the city of Hampton’s first female mayor from 1963 to 1971 and again from 1974 to 1978. Kilgore, who graduated from the College of William & Mary in 1944, held a BA in psychology and was a teacher at Hampton High School. She considered successfully integrating Hampton’s schools and businesses without litigation as her greatest accomplishment. During her term as mayor, the city of Hampton built the Hampton Coliseum, city hall, and the police station. The city also donated land for Thomas Nelson Community College. She also fostered the local tourist industry and improved interracial relations as the city tripled in size from fewer than 30,000 citizens to more than 100,000 people. To continue with branding the school as well as honor Ann H. Kilgore, the school division’s graphics department, in collaboration with the school and Kilgore’s family, created an infographic/wall art in the fall of 2022 and installed it in November of 2022.

The last honorable mention was awarded in the category of Branding/Image Package for HEF Fest branding. On November 5, 2022, the Hampton Education Foundation hosted the first-ever HEF Fest. HEF Fest celebrated our educators throughout Hampton City Schools with live music and a gathering of our Hampton City community to raise private support for HEF's Teacher Grant Program. This program invites our educators to apply for grants to fund their innovative ideas that enhance student learning. In order to make this a successful event, it needed to be branded for marketing and future HEF Fests. As such, a logo and tagline were created and used on all marketing materials (e.g., posters, flyers, tickets, t-shirts, cups).

The public relations and marketing department is under the direction of executive director Kellie Goral. Goral shares, “Public relations (PR) and marketing is a critical component to any public school system. The division's graphics department (under the direction of Matt Houser), print shop and records (under the direction of Marty Wood), and PEG TV (under the direction of Andy Foley), work strategically to provide consistent and targeted messaging that not only tells Hampton's story but builds strong relationships with all of our stakeholders. Being recognized by NSPRA and receiving six awards validates the collaboration and hard work of these departments as they create content that is cutting edge and innovative to school PR.”

NSPRA, recognized as the leader in school communication, has honored the best work in school communication for more than 50 years.