FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 10, 2022
CONTACT: Kimberly Aguilar, (805) 341-4689
Thousand Oaks, CA: Compass Charter Schools (Compass) was awarded three awards, one in excellence and two in merit, from the California School Public Relations Association (CalSPRA). The awards were presented at the 2022 CalSPRA Capitol City Conference at their Annual Awards Gala this evening. The Excellence Award was given for “Compass Celebrates 10 Years of Serving Scholars Campaign,” which was a comprehensive special events campaign to bring awareness to the 10-year anniversary of Compass. The Merit Awards were given for the “Orange County Learning Center Virtual Tour” and “The Firebird Report Scholar Newscast.” CalSPRA awards are a competitive statewide awards program that are judged by seasoned school public relations professionals throughout the country.
Compass Celebrates 10 Years of Serving Scholars – Compass celebrated ten years of serving scholars in October 2021. This special events campaign included The Compass Way CultureNewsletter for staff; the issue highlighted staff and their accomplishments over the last ten years. The October Monday Morning Updates (MMU) Newsletter and a Panda Express fundraiser were also included. The Blog: A Word from Our Superintendent Compass Charter Schools Celebrates 10 Years as the Gold Standard in Virtual Learning, delved into details about Compass’ accomplishments over the past ten years, and the October Blog Series highlighted Compass’ anniversary, including interviews with our board, longest-serving staff, and families. The campaign also included social media campaigns on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, highlighting all the incredible work that Compass has been doing over the past ten years.
Kimberly Aguilar, Community Relations Coordinator shares, “It was such a joy and privilege to brainstorm and develop our tenth-anniversary campaign. Compass is the Gold Standard in Virtual Education, and these awards illuminate Compass’ incredible programs, scholars, and ten years of excellence. Thank you, CalSPRA, for acknowledging all the hard work and dedication that Compass teachers and staff provide to our scholars and our work and passion for serving our community.”
The Firebird Report – Compass created a scholarly newscast to report the weekly MMU newsletter, which publishes every Monday for enrolled families, scholars, and staff. Their goal is to create awareness around the incredible school and all Compass offers. Alex Vazquez, Online High School Teacher and filmmaker, had the vision to start a scholar-led newscast at Compass after hearing about the recommendation from both our Parent Advisory Council and Scholar Leadership Council. Aguilar and Vazquez met and decided to start a scholar club to teach scholars about the field of broadcast journalism and create the weekly broadcast.
“I have always been so proud of the amazing work everyone is doing at Compass, and I wanted to showcase it in a film. As a teacher and a filmmaker, I envisioned a project that encompassed both fields. I talked to J.J. Lewis, Kimberly Aguilar and told them about the project, we teamed up to make it happen,” shared Vazquez. “I was given the perfect opportunity to use my cinematography skills to highlight the outstanding talent of our scholars. We started a scholar video production club to create a newscast project that led to the Firebird Report. We will continue working to improve our scholar-based broadcast, it is a work in progress. We aim for a Golden Standard school newscast. We are a great team of scholars, teachers, filmmakers, parents, and a very supporting staff. Thanks to all.”
The Orange County Learning Center (OCLC) Virtual Tour – This virtual tour was produced to promote Compass’ OCLC. Interviews with scholars, parents, and staff created awareness about all that the learning center offers. The OCLC Navigators Community meets twice a week for science, history, and engaging enrichment classes. The community provides a perfect blend of home study and the traditional classroom as skilled and passionate teachers partner with dedicated parents to provide a solid and complete education for TK–8-grade scholars.
“I am so proud of the work of our team at Compass, who continue to ideate on and ultimately create impactful ways to showcase the Compass Experience,” shares J.J. Lewis, Superintendent & CEO. “This year was a milestone year for Compass, as we celebrate 10 years of providing gold standard experiences for our scholars, parents, and staff. What’s more, we brought scholar and parent ideas to life, thanks to the creativity of our team – ideas such as the Firebird Report and the OCLC virtual tour. I am incredibly proud of our team, and grateful to CalSPRA for recognizing this creativity in storytelling!”
About CalSPRA
The California School Public Relations Association (CalSPRA) is a nationally recognized leader in school communications with a membership of more than 400. CalSPRA works to create a climate for better public understanding, commitment, and support of public education. Members represent school districts and county offices of all sizes, ranging from the largest urban districts to those located in remote areas serving one or two schools and other professionals in the field of education. The common thread is the recognition that there is value in networking. The National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) has consistently recognized CalSPRA as a Blue Ribbon Chapter for its exemplary programs and services to members.
About Compass Charter Schools
Compass Charter Schools (Compass) is a WASC-accredited virtual personalized learning public charter school serving thousands of scholars throughout California. Catering to TK-12 grade scholars, Compass offers two personalized learning programs. Compass is committed to creating a collaborative virtual learning community, inspiring scholars to appreciate how arts and sciences nurture a curiosity for lifelong learning and preparing scholars to take responsibility for their future successes.
For more information about Compass, visit www.compasscharters.org; and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.