A staff recognition program formed by Jamestown Public Schools and a documentary celebrating its music program recently received national recognition by the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) as part of its annual National School Communication Awards. The "Pillars of JPS" program was awarded a Golden Achievement Award by NSPRA, which recognizes outstanding strategic work in all aspects of school public relations, communication, marketing and engagement. Each entry is judged individually against the contest criteria -- not against other entries -- and judges select as many winners as meet the award criteria from a network of over 30,000 communication and education professionals from around the country.
Jamestown Public Schools launched the peer-to-peer staff recognition at the start of this 2025-2026 school year. Named for the ornate architecture of the district’s historic school buildings embedded in its own logo, the program invites every employee to nominate a colleague who "holds others up," combining a permanent digital nomination portal with weekly recognition in the district's internal newsletter and monthly rewards. From September 2025 through March 2026, it generated 464 nominations across every building and department.
In addition to the "Pillars," JPS was also recognized for a documentary that premiered last school year. "100 Years of Music," a documentary on the Jamestown High School choral and band programs, received an Award of Merit in the organization's Publications and Digital Media Excellence Awards. Narrated and written by Dennis Webster and produced by Brayton Lydell, the documentary traces the program's journey and development -- from its earliest days to the present -- through interviews with alumni, longtime directors, and current educators. The NSPRA award is the second accolade the documentary has received -- in October, it earned an Award of Excellence from the New York School Public Relations Association.
Click here to learn more about the Pillars of JPS program; click here to view the documentary.
