Cooperative Educational Service Agency 7’s (CESA 7) Director of Communications Dean Leisgang was recently honored with Spectrum Awards for excellence in public relations from the Wisconsin School Public Relations Association (WSPRA). Leisgang won three individual awards and had a role in two other winning entries.
The winning entries were for the CodeWISCO animated video series, a Between the Lakes Virtual Academy profile video and a Slinger School District website project. Additionally, Dean produced videos for the Neenah Joint School District and Marinette School District’s award winning referendum projects.
The CodeWISCO animated ten part video series, broadcast on FOX 11, was designed to raise awareness for national coding week and specifically CESA 7’s work in northeast Wisconsin through the Computer Science Talent Ecosystem Youth (CSTEY) program.
The Between the Lakes Virtual Academy video profile was produced as a marketing product for the Kiel Area School District.
The Slinger Area Military Service website project was produced in conjunction with Slinger High School teacher Nate Grimm and Slinger High School students. The videos and website were created so students could learn more about military service and honor past and present military members from their area.
“I truly appreciate the support of the school districts and our partners for their willingness to trust me with their projects.” Dean Leisgang stated. “Each of these projects was unique and the use of video was a great way to showcase the success of their programs.”
Spectrum Awards recognize high-quality public relations efforts produced by or on behalf of Wisconsin school districts. This year, this statewide competition honored 52 school districts with awards. WSPRA’s Spectrum Awards are judged by members of other school public relations associations throughout the United States, including from Illinois, North Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Iowa, New York, Texas, Alabama, Arizona, and South Carolina. All entries were judged on a 30-point scale in six areas: goals and objectives, research and planning, execution and evaluation, results, language, and design.
“These awards are great recognition for CESA 7 and Dean,” Jeff Dickert/CESA 7 Agency Administrator said. “Since most of this work was done during the pandemic, and there was no access to get into the schools, Dean did an excellent job pivoting from traditional video production to animation. These awards validate the success of his projects.”
A trusted educational leader for over half a century, CESA 7 supports school districts in preparing students to be college, career, and life ready by providing high quality and innovative services delivered by recognized experts.