Union County Public Schools (UCPS) Communications Team has received the 2024 NSPRA (National School Public Relations Association) Publications and Digital Media Excellence Award for their creative 2023 "Reel #UCPS Grads" social media campaign.

Aiming to engage with the community and celebrate student achievements, the team leveraged the popularity of Instagram Reels. The campaign featured videos showcasing students participating in various sports and academic activities, seamlessly transitioning to shots of them proudly wearing graduation regalia by the video's end.

An example of one of the reels is when Marian Lozano Gonzalez from Marvin Ridge High School, a student who studied apparel, stood beside a mannequin. Marian wore a black sweater. With a snap of her fingers, her sweater magically transformed into a t-shirt. Another snap, and now the mannequin donned the t-shirt while Marian stood proudly in her cap and gown.

This initiative included contributions from every high school in the district, resulting in a collection of 32 cleverly crafted videos. Each video was infused with puns and humor, ensuring the content was informative and entertaining. The post for the fashion design student read, “Apparel senior Marian Lozano Gonzalez is ready to purse-shoe her dreams! OK, OK, we know these jokes are falling apart at the seams! Sew what? Congrats to Marian and the entire @MarvinRidgeHSNC #Classof2023! #UCPSGrads.”

The campaign resonated deeply with the community, generating an impressive 1.25 million views, 153,529 likes, comments, and shares, and achieving a 12.3% engagement rate.

Superintendent Dr. Andrew Houlihan expressed pride in the recognition, stating, "This recognition truly reflects the creativity and dedication of our communications team and the outstanding accomplishments of our students. I am truly proud of our communications team for earning this prestigious award. It is well deserved."

The NSPRA Publications and Digital Media Excellence Awards recognize outstanding achievement in educational communications. This award recognizes our dedication to leveraging modern communication tools to enhance our connection with the community and celebrate the successes of our students.

To view the award-winning reels, visit our UCPS YouTube Channel.

06/26/2024