(Montreal) – The Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) shone Monday night at the 25th annual Canadian Association of Communicators in Education (CACE) BRAVO! Awards.
Members of the Board’s Communications Department were recognized with an Award of Excellence and an Award of Distinction during CACE’s annual gala, held at the Delta Inn in Montreal.
The Award of Excellence, accepted by Director David Thomas, Chair Greg Pietersma and Communications Manager Terry Simzer, was received in the audiovisual communications project category for outstanding work on the 2008 Director’s Annual Report. The 40-minute video, entitled Beyond 90 per cent, told an inspirational tale of the wonderful things going on at the Board to help our students gain a high school diploma – and adopt a pathway for a successful life.
“We’re proud to earn this honour,” said Director David Thomas Monday night. “It was gained not only through the hard work of our Communications Department, but through staff going the extra mile and living excellence in their work lives. Their achievements formed the basis of a great story about how we are helping students achieve their dreams.
“While the award is exciting, I believe what is even more exciting is that this high quality video allows us to showcase our Board to the world. I know from working with the people here – everyone from custodians to the associate director – that we have world-class employees working for a school board that is second to none.”
The video, created in partnership with James Brodie Productions of Unionville, also showcased inspirational stories of students at the Board, including one who proudly declared that because of the guidance received at Russell High School she became the first in her family to graduate with a diploma.
Judges were impressed with the positive feel of the video and animation incorporated into the work to make statistical information come alive.
The Award of Distinction was earned by Simzer, Planning and Research Officer Phil Dawes and Communications Officer Mark Calder in the communications program category for the CREW Strategic Plan.
The plan sets out the overall goals of the Board in the areas of communications, equitable distribution of resources, educational programs and wellness. It is the guidepost for a variety of initiatives ranging from the Board’s Michelangelo Project to the updating of our external Web site.
Judges said a key to the award was the comprehensive nature of the plan. The plan contains the Board’s charter projects for system-wide improvement, as well as our Mission, Vision, Values statement, our Credo, and information on the Board’s families of schools system.
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For more information, please call:
Terry Simzer
Communications Manager
Upper Canada District School Board
613-342-0371 ext. 1119