ISPRA Communications Awards 2017

Last year, Woodward Academy competed in the Iowa School Public Relations Association (ISPRA) Communications Awards competition for the first time and scored really well, winning 3 out of 4 categories where we submitted entries. After last year's experience, we wanted to continue that expectation of excellence for our communications, but also knew that the competition would be equally as fierce from all school districts.

Of the 20 events, we identified 6 categories where we felt we could perform well, which included Brochure, Photography, Print Newsletter, Social Media, Video, and Website. As a local chapter of the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA), it is policy that another state score the submissions based on rubrics, and this year the Arizona chapter judged the Iowa submissions.

The rubric for each submission looks at design, clarity and focus, writing quality, evaluation, and overall effect. When averaged together, if a submission scores between 7-8, they earn an Award of Merit. Scores between 8-10 earned an Award of Excellence. Out of that pool, submissions that scored 9 and above are eligible to earn the top honor: the Blue & Gold Award as the best in the state.

This year, there were 98 entries from 20 different school districts, the most ever for ISPRA. On Thursday, April 20, the results were announced and Woodward Academy once again scored well. Of the six categories, 1 submission received an Award of Merit (Social Media), and the other 5 all received high scores in the Award of Excellence range. Of those, 2 received the top prize of the Blue & Gold Award (print newsletter and website), and were recognized as the best in the state. This was the second year in a row that our Knightly Knews was recognized with the top award, and the website category recognized our newly launched site. You can see all of the results on the ISPRA website, and below is a recap of how Woodward Academy performed.

Iowa School Public Relations Association
Print Newsletter - Knightly Knews Vol. 38 and 39 - Blue & Gold Award
Website - www.wwacademy.com - Blue & Gold Award
Photography - Cross Country 2016 - Award of Excellence
Video - Become a Knight video series - Award of Excellence
Brochure - Become a Knight - Award of Excellence
Social Media - Facebook Page - Award of Merit

Powerlifting Poster 2014

Even though the powerlifting season started last November, the season poster does not generally get done until this time of year. It showcases the lifters who are competing in events and trying to qualify for nationals.

The season has already gotten off to a great start. At their first meet in Lincoln, the team recorded a nearly perfect score with nine lifters qualifying for Nationals. The team has two more meets leading up to the national competition that will be held in Killeen, Texas over the weekend of March 28-30. We'll have a lot more on the powerlifting team in the next couple months, but in the meantime, here is the official team poster for the 2014 season. At first glance, it appears to be just one picture of the team in the weight room, but in actuality there is a lot more going on in the poster. Learn about the photographic process that went into it after the break.

Baseball Poster 2013

Pictured is the official Woodward Academy Knights baseball poster for the 2013 season. At this point, the season is well underway so we're a little late getting it out, but it certainly shows off the team. We went with a colorful vintage feel to the poster using classic style baseball pennants as the background. Additionally, the players have a posterized filter on them that gives it a little bit a comic feel. If you're on campus, grab a poster and check out a game.

Student Photographer

Photography is a powerful tool that is used to capture emotions and specific events. When used effectively, it creates memories forever and can be amazing pieces of art. At Woodward Academy, select students have access to professional grade equipment and photo expertise. This past semester, one student has excelled above the rest and now has merits to back up his photography. Caleb Johnson scored two honorable mention awards at the West Central Activities Conference annual art show. One was the track poster that he created from scratch (you can view it by clicking here), with his other being a portrait of a WA student with a literature feel to it. This semester, Caleb was put on payroll to work as a photographer at Woodward Academy and has attended a number of WA events.

Off Camera Lighting

Woodward Academy's Multimedia class focuses heavily on photography and simple design elements in Photoshop. Taught by a member of the Professional Photographers of Iowa, the class offers real world experience in photography, using professional equipment that prepares students to use photography in the future. Examples of student photos are often seen on this blog or in Woodward Academy's quarterly newsletter: the Knightly Knews.

For you photography experts, the class uses Canon DSLR cameras and dives into many of its functions. Lessons include composition, focus points, and most recently how to shoot in manual mode. An understanding of the Exposure Triangle is needed with this as students are asked to control the camera's shutter speed, aperture, and ISO settings.  New to this semester is examining the use of off camera lighting. Pictured are students taking portraits of each other using a LED light panel.