CEA’s Communications Department has been recognized by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and State Education Affiliate Communicators (SEAComm) for a variety of campaigns and materials supporting CEA members and highlighting public education in Connecticut.
Two prestigious PRSA 2021 Mercury Awards were given for last year’s Vaccinate Educators Now campaign and TV ad.
A Gold Mercury Award in the Public Affairs Campaign category went to the Vaccinate Educators Now campaign that included the television ad, social media and other digital materials, news release, news conference, earned media, and more. In addition, a Silver Mercury Award in the Tactics Video category went specifically to the Vaccinate Educators Now advertisement featuring Connecticut’s outstanding Teachers of the Year.
CEA Communications also had a strong showing at the 2022 SEAComm awards conference in San Diego, where the team earned top awards in several categories. [Above, CEA Communications Director Nancy Andrews and CEA Advisor Editor Lesia Day pose with the awards.]
For the fifth year in a row, the CEA Advisor was recognized with an Award of Excellence for best publication. CEA has earned this award 14 times in the last 15 years.
Also earning an Award of Excellence were CEA’s newly redesigned website and three of its major campaigns.
- Stronger Than Ever, a TV ad campaign filmed at New London’s Bennie Dover Jackson Multi-Magnet Middle School, featured teachers from New London, East Hartford, and Newington as well as students from around the state. As educators welcomed children back to their classrooms for the 2021-2022 school year, the campaign underscored their dedication to their students and commitment to ensuring safe learning environments.
- Teaching Is Calling You, a TV ad campaign filmed at Bridgeport’s Geraldine Johnson School, amplified CEA’s call to recruit teachers of color so that the profession more closely reflects the state’s racial and ethnic diversity. The campaign, which featured teachers and students in their classrooms and communities, posed such questions as, “How do you change the world?” and “How do you use your voice—and make it heard?” The answer? “You teach.”
- CEA’s Safe Learning Plan earned media campaign called for state policymakers to ensure safety and equity took priority in schools in year one of the pandemic, by providing accommodations for at-risk students, teachers, and staff, increasing funding to districts for COVID-related expenses, providing COVID-19 testing, upgrading school air handling systems, and otherwise mitigating exposure to the virus.
In addition, a SEAComm Award of Distinction went to the Read Across America video that followed a bright blue reading bus on its tour of Connecticut schools.
“We are so incredibly proud to represent Connecticut’s amazing teachers and shine a spotlight on what they do,” says CEA Communications Director Nancy Andrews. “These awards are not only an acknowledgement of the efforts and talents of our staff but also, importantly, a celebration of the tens of thousands of educators we advocate for.”
In addition to Andrews, CEA Communications comprises editor Lesia Day, web developer Eric Ahrens, events planner Molly Ferguson, and new media coordinator Laurel Killough.
