K12prWell Hello-Hello Again
Now is the perfect time for K12prWell.
For those of you who have joined the k12prWell over the past year, hello! We are so glad you’re here. And for those of you who joined us back in the old days (before masks and zooms were the norm), hello again!
As many know, we made a conscious decision last summer to press pause on our regular emails and instead focus our COVID-limited energy presentations to help state chapters. Even with that shift, we are thankful for all the opportunities to connect with colleagues and grow k12prWell — more than we could have imagined last summer!
SEVEN state chapter presentations! Thank you to the chapter leaders in Iowa, Nebraska, Kentucky, Missouri, Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia — and all the members who joined us to hear about the risks to wellbeing in school PR and how to protect yourself for the long run. Thanks also to Andrea Gribble for inviting us to present for her membership group.
And podcast interviews! Thank you to each host for featuring k12prWell in the last year. Here are links if you’ve missed them:
And last but not least! In March, we officially partnered with CEL to create a sustainable (and very exciting!) path toward our long-term goals to bring in more voices and reach more people. More on this coming soon!
We’ve learned so much from you in the past year. We’ve been reminded in new ways just how heavily communities rely on their schools — and how essential, adaptable, and downright gritty that school PR pros really are, no matter what comes your way.
We’ve practiced honoring “this is too much” when it happens, and lowering our expectations for ourselves. Saying no to a great opportunity, or backing away from something we care about will never be easy. But even the best opportunity cannot come at the expense of our wellbeing.
We’ve gained new insight into the need to support high-performing school PR professionals for the long term. Conversations with Barb Hunter, NSPRA board members, and several of YOU have affirmed our sense that the role of k12prWell must continue to grow, in order to strengthen the profession and help you find opportunities to model and lead workplace wellbeing in your district.
And we understand with more clarity than ever the role of licensed mental health professionals. We have always relied on social work leaders to guide the k12prWell work, from the very earliest days of creating a flier to circulate at the Anaheim NSPRA seminar in 2018, to the slide deck development for our D.C. presentation in 2019 and NSPRA PR Power Hour two short months later. We are excited to focus on a formal approach to this critical role in 2021, and we look forward to sharing more soon.
We wish you well as you wrap up a historic school year, and we look forward to connecting for support and encouragement even more in the year to come!
Be well,
Shawn and Kristin
Shawn McKillop, APR @ShawnMcKillop
Kristin Magette, APR @kmagette
Looking forward to the future? We are, too!
Add us to your e-mail contacts so you never miss a message.
Stay tuned for details about a k12prWell meet-up at the NSPRA seminar in New Orleans.
Contact Kristin about speaking engagements for your upcoming chapter meeting or conference.
Follow #k12prWell on Twitter — and use the hashtag to share your reflections!