INSPRA Recognizes Public Education Advocates Of Yorkville D115

YORKVILLE, IL—Six individuals from Yorkville Community Unit School District 115 recently took home awards for their support of their schools and districts during the Distinguish Service Awards presentation, sponsored by the Illinois chapter of the National School Public Relations Association. The May 10 event, held at the Bolingbrook Golf Club, provided a space to recognize public education advocates for their efforts.

Among those honored were Cathy Anderson, administrative assistant to the superintendent, in the Support Staff Member category; Jorge Ayala, president of the district's Bilingual Parent Advisory Council, in the Parent category; Alicia Lingane, Yorkville Educational Foundation president, in the Community Member category; Josh Slavin, founder of the Timeout 4 Kids charity, in the Student Category; and the Team category award winners Sherri Farley, Yorkville Area Chamber of Commerce executive director, and Melissa Wojowski, teacher, for their work with the district's Field Experience Program.

“The Distinguished Service Awards is an opportunity to honor those deserving individuals who passionately advocate for public education in our state,” INSPRA President Kristine Liptrot, APR, director of communications and community engagement in Yorkville CUSD 115, said in a release. “These individuals work tirelessly to highlight the successes of public schools. They understand the importance of building a strong public relations program that provides all members of the school community the opportunity to promote excellence and be champions of students and employees.”

During the presentation, 61 individuals and teams from across the state of Illinois were recognized. Honors were bestowed upon advocates in the categories of administrator, board of education member, community member, faculty/certified staff member, parent, support staff member and team.

School communicators from 13 states judged the entries against a criteria of excellence, and only those receiving top scores received awards, officials said. Winning nominations either received an award of merit, or for those receiving the highest evaluations, an award of excellence.

For information, visit inspra.org.