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Ridge View Wins National Public Relations Award

9/19/2017

COLUMBIA — Ridge View High School is the recipient of a 2017 Golden Achievement Award from the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA). The award recognizes the school’s work on the Bojangles’ Bash basketball showcase held in December. Over the past several years, the school has enlisted several public relations strategies to highlight the school’s focus areas, build school spirit and morale, and attract visitors who will become a part of the Ridge View Story.

In 2010, the school developed a communications plan that included monthly action items such as media pitches, outreach activities and marketing tasks to reach and address Ridge View’s many audiences. According to Principal Dr. Brenda Mack-Foxworth, none of the tasks and strategies generated the kind of excitement about the school that they really desired.

“Then in 2012, as we began our annual update to the communications and marketing plan, the athletics director and basketball staff began imagining the benefits of bringing a high-level, first-class basketball event to the Blazer Gymnasium. We incorporated the idea into the communications plan and set out to get basketball lovers fired up about coming to our campus for an experience unlike any other, anywhere in the country! We envisioned an opportunity to show visitors more than great basketball. We knew if we could get them here we could show them our school, our “View” in a positive way,” said Mack-Foxworth.

With the proper planning and funding, Ridge View has attracted top high school teams from around the country while shining a spotlight of local and national media attention on the school.

School Athletic Director Brian Rosefield attributes the partnership with Bojangles’ for making the showcase so successful. “For the first time, the Bojangles’ Bash made the 2016-2017 MaxPreps list of the big time high school hoops events with national appeal. It took five years of outstanding planning, promoting and great games to make it happen,” said Rosefield. "Bojangles' puts their full support behind this and we are extremely thankful to be working with such a first-class organization."

This year’s event will be December 7-9, 2017. Tickets go on sale in November. NSPRA’s Golden Achievement award is one of the highest honors in school communications. Ridge View’s winning entry was displayed at the national seminar this summer in San Antonio, Texas. Golden Achievement Awards recognize exemplary work in all aspects of school public relations, communication, marketing, and engagement.