Ladue School District Wins Four Major Communication Awards

Throughout the years, the Ladue School District has distinguished itself, achieving a variety of awards and special recognitions in academics, the arts, community involvement and athletics.

The district’s public relations staff has established a successful program as well.

The three-person staff took home four major awards at the annual National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) annual contest for communications specialist. Award winners were notified June 17.

This year, Ladue PR was recognized for a Golden Achievement Award in conjunction with its highly successful Prop O campaign to develop and promote a new Ladue Early Childhood Center on the recently acquired Westminster Christian Academy campus.

The staff is comprised of webmaster Dante Du Casse, who has been with the district for two years; Laura Shea, the communications specialist who has been with the district more than 13 years and anchoring the staff; Susan Dielmann, the communications director who has been with the district for two years.

In addition, the Ladue PR staff was presented an award of merit for the annual report, an award of merit for special purpose publications for 2010-11 legislative positions and honorable mention for audio/visual programs and presentations for “Growing their Dreams.” The video "Growing their Dreams" was a compilation of young students expressing their hopes and desires and what they wanted to be when they grew up. It was debuted during a pre-school year orientation last fall.

“We are especially proud of the work that went into the Prop O campaign. I thought our website added a great deal to our success. We were changing copy and frequent asked questions almost daily,” Dielmann said.

Marsha Chappelow, superintendent of the district is just as proud. Chappelow is a past president of NSPRA and has devoted much of her career to school communications.

“I don’t think it was so much about the design of our website for Prop O as it was the information we presented,” Du Casse said. “I do know we learned a lot about structuring (of the site) based on the volume of feedback we got from our family members,” he said.

“Our legislative piece in particular is very important,” Dielmann said.

Looking forward, Ladue PR will be involved in several projects this fall. For the first time, district faculty members will have access to an employees-only intradistrict website. This site will include information concerning teaching materials, employee benefits, a staff directory, comprehensive calendar and other useful information.

Ladue begins the world of social networking with a new district Facebook page, and the superintendent will be maintaining a Twitter account.

Ladue board members are talking about an operating tax increase to offset any deficits, so that will keep the trio busy.

The PR office is neatly tucked away on the lower level of the schools administrative headquarters. Here, print materials, visual aids and Web material is developed for the benefit of the entire district.