Waukegan Public Schools was recently recognized for its communication efforts with awards from the Illinois Chapter of the National Schools Public Relations Association (INSPRA). INSPRA recognized the school district with four honors during its annual Communications Contest last month, which celebrates school district communication efforts across the state.

Superintendent Theresa Plascencia was awarded an Award of Merit in the Writing category for an ESSA Community Letter she wrote in fall 2018 to the community, which explained the State’s new Every Student Succeeds Acts Designations, and what they mean to Waukegan Public Schools.

In the Social Media Campaign category, Communications Manager, Mitchell Riportella, Communications Director, Nicholas Alajakis and Manager of Talent Acquisition & Licensure, Maricela Jimenez, were presented an Award of Merit for a Puerto Rico Teacher Recruitment campaign, which was designed to attract bilingual teachers in Puerto Rico to the district.

The District was also presented an Award of Merit in the Video category. Mr. Riportella, Mr. Alajakis, Video Production Technician Kamika Hopkins-Bey, and Technology Manager of Diverse Learners, Andrew Aiello, were recognized for their work on 60 in Sixty, a weekly web news show that highlights important news and events in Waukegan Public Schools.

Lastly, the District was recognized with an Award of Merit in the Newsletter category. Mr. Riportella and Mr. Alajakis were again recognized for their work on D60 News, a monthly bilingual newspaper distributed throughout the community, which highlights District 60 news.