School PR Happy Hour

Join Erin as she talks with Julie Thannum, APR, about what Carroll ISD is doing to become cultural competent and became a leader among districts is choosing equity.

Justin is joined by Katie Test Davis from Forthright Advising to discuss stats and tactics public schools can use to win in the new competitive education industry. Katie shared a TON of resources during this interview and they can all be found by visiting forthrightadvising.com/schoolprhappyhour . Stay safe School PR!

In this stripped-down version of SPRHH, Justin, Erin and Ben Pankonin from Class Intercom talk about the effects of CoVid-19 on the School PR community. Our community is doing hard work and this conversation is a callback to a previous conversation about wellness.  This episode is about you, the professionals that listen and contribute to our show. We want you to know we see you and we want t...

School PR is a rewarding business, but there's nothing easy about the work we do. We talk a lot about "finding our tribe," and knowing who to call in various situations.  What about having formal mentor?  Is it necessary?  Does it make a difference? In this episode, Erin talks with her own mentor, Ian Halperin, and discusses the benefits of having a mentor, as well as the need for r...

Don’t worry! You’re still getting your scheduled content on the first and the fifteenth. Erin and Justin just want to say thank you!

Happy Valentine's Day Patrons of the Happy Hour. In this episode, we step outside of the industry to have an important conversation on the effect our jobs can have on the ones we love. Justin welcomed his wife, Caty Dearing, into the studio to talk School PR, the effects the job can have on a relationship, and even a little bit of the importance of incorporating teacher voice into our communicatio...

(Possible Trigger Warning) Crisis. The subject that School PR professionals seek endless training upon, consider themselves experts and prepare materials for.  No matter how much you prepare, the true nature of a crisis, is there is always something you don't know. In episode 12, Kim Cathey from Floresville ISD talks with Erin about two severe crisis situations she guided her district through...

Our jobs are to tell the good stories that are going on in the classrooms, but what are we doing about public education as a whole.? Join Justin as he talks with Dr. Richard Long from Learning First Alliance and Rich Bagin, APR from NSPRA about ways School PR professionals can step up and speak out for public schools. Public Schools Week is February 24-28... have you signed the pledge to support p...

Happy New Year School PR! A new year is filled with new energy and new opportunity.  In this special New Year's Day episode, Erin talks with School PR Rookie JP Prezzavento  on breaking into the industry and finding your niche in school PR.

We are storytellers, but what makes a great story? This "extended" episode of School PR Happy Hour dives into everything VISUAL storytelling. Tove Tupper, Assistant Director of Communications for Highline Public Schools in Washington and Derek Duncan, Digital Communications Coordinator at Parkway Schools in St. Louis join Justin to talk about visual storytelling. 

As we move into the Holiday season, it feels appropriate to take some time to touch on an issue that has been a hot button in the K12 PR world.   How good are you, as a practitioner of School PR, at taking time to take care of yourself, or to check in internally to make sure you are achieving balance in your life? In this episode, Erin talks with two dynamic thought leaders who are pioneering...

The most important voices in our district are the kids walking the hall. What if we, as storytellers, found unique ways for those students to be the storytellers. Brenda Drake, PIO for Montgomery County Public Schools is doing just that through her Ambassador program's Instagram responsibilities. 

According to the New York Times best selling author Brene Brown, embracing Vulnerability is the key to unlocking greater clarity in our potential. Adam Harris, Head of Storytelling for Arlington Heights School District, feels exactly the same way.  In episode 6, Adam shares how he uses vulnerability to increase his storytelling for his district built trust with his audiences, and challenge th...

Lesley Bruinton, APR, the Coordinator of Public Relations for Tuscaloosa Schools in Tuscaloosa Alabama and NSPRA President-Elect joins Justin to talk about the important role that strategy plays in the day to day operations of a School Communications Plan.  Whether you are a strategy pro or if it is something you have never really jumped into, this episode will leave you with tips and motivat...

Bond.  It's many School PR professional's favorite 4 letter word. Bonds are a necessary tool to achieve the needed funding for construction and other capital projects in school districts.  They can be stressful, intimidating and heartbreaking.  They can also be points of success to rally community members to come out and support public schools.  Negotiating the political landsc...

Accreditation in Public Relations.  A.P.R.  Sounds scary right?  Maybe intimidating?  Totally Awesome? Many School PR professionals dream of one day adding those 3 letters after their name.  Having your APR means that you are recognized internationally as holding credentials that certifies your drive, professionalism and principles.  Your APR sets you apart from your...

In the age of Social Media Marketing, and Big Brother putting ads in your newsfeed of the couch you just looked at on a different website ten minutes ago, School PR professionals would be crazy not to take advantage of an opportunity for a more strategic approach to marketing their schools. Many Public Schools are finding themselves in the midst of a battle of school choice.  In Episode 2, Er...

Many of the School PR professionals that we have had the opportunity to connect with over the creation of this project come from districts that have only one or two people working in their communications department. With everything that we, as School professionals, need to share on a daily basis, we need to help each other out!  In the debut episode of School PR Happy Hour, we chatted with NS...

Coming Soon - School PR Happy Hour Podcast is a casual, twice-monthly, chat with friends and other School PR professionals about relevant and timely topics. Think of us as an extension of the conversations that motivate us when we attend our annual state and national conferences.