By Ian Halperin
2013 Awards Committee Chair
“Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself; but talent instantly recognizes genius.”
― Arthur Conan Doyle, The Valley of Fear
It’s time for the collective talent that is TSPRA to recognize the genius among us. Just as Hollywood has its “awards season,” our association has its own special time on the calendar when we take a short break from championing our staffs and students to shine the spotlight on our colleagues.
The TSPRA awards season officially got underway in early May with the call for entries for the annual Key Communicator Award. This award, sponsored by SchoolMessenger, recognizes someone who has contributed significantly to the field of public school communications. There is still time to nominate someone before the Monday, June 17 deadline. Nominees need not be a member of TSPRA. The recipient will be honored in late September at the annual TASA/TASB conference.
A month later, TSPRA Awards Season kicks into high gear with the Professional Awards. These awards include:
- Professional Achievement Award sponsored by Relatrix
- Most Valuable Member Award sponsored by SchoolMessenger
- Rookie of the Year Award sponsored by O’Connell Robertson
- Bright Idea Award sponsored by SchoolReach
- Media Award
The call for nominations for these awards will go out on November 1, 2013. Winners will be announced and recognized at the annual conference on February 19, 2014 in Austin.
Each of us has witnessed genius in action as we champion public schools across Texas. Please help honor and celebrate those who strive to make a difference through public relations by nominating someone now for Key Communicator or later this fall for one of the professional awards. As the chair of the Awards Committee, please contact me if you have any question about any of the TSPRA awards.