Each year, #SocialSchool4EDU honors the very best in school storytelling through our annual “Golden Gribble” awards, recognizing top-notch social media efforts from K12 schools across the country. This spring, we celebrated 25 incredible winners in our 2025 Best of School Social Media Awards!
But with hundreds of creative, heartfelt, and downright fun entries, there were so many more posts and videos that had us cheering from behind our screens! That’s why we’re taking a moment to celebrate 42 Honorable Mentions that deserve their moment in the spotlight.
Get ready for a scroll-worthy showcase of school social media done RIGHT! This blog is packed with inspiration – guaranteed to spark your next great idea for the 2025/2026 school year!
🏅 Engagement Recognition – Dalton Public Schools, GA – Ashley Grycz
When a snow day rolled through in January, Dalton Public Schools leaned into the joy of the moment. Instead of assigning virtual work, the district encouraged students to spend time with their families and create memories. This post inviting families to share snow day photos in the comments earned huge engagement: 151 reactions, 481 comments (wow!), and 12 shares, with a reach of 7,463!
As Ashley shared in her submission, however, “This post wasn’t just about engagement; it was about celebrating a little moment that truly mattered.”
🏅 Enrollment Video Recognition – Western Dubuque Community School District, IA – Kayla Pins
The Western Dubuque Community School District collaborated with a local college to produce this video, showcasing all of its schools. Its goal was to create a unifying message for the whole district (which includes two high schools, a middle school, and five elementary schools) and share the district’s motto, “Better Every Day.”
Fun Fact: My daughter Aliya went to school in this district and had Mrs. Lake for kindergarten at Peosta Elementary! Watch this project if you want to get inspired to create a new “district overview” video at your school; it’s really well done.
🏅 Enrollment Video Recognition – Cedar Springs Public Schools, MI – Amy McCarthy
As part of an enrollment push, Cedar Springs Public Schools wanted families to see what makes a CSPS elementary school experience so special. As a one-person team, Amy created this fun kindergarten marketing video to showcase why Cedar Springs is an ideal place for incoming students.
And it has worked! Amy shared:
The response has been incredible—we’ve seen an increase in early kindergarten enrollment, along with positive comments and shares from families proud to show off their school and celebrate being Red Hawks.
🏅 Enrollment Video Recognition – Blaine School District, WA – Tricia Johnson
Tricia is doing amazing work at Blaine School District, and one of those accomplishments is her focus on using social media to promote enrollment.
This kindergarten enrollment video is short, sweet, and simple! Plus, it’s way more engaging than a simple Canva graphic. Check it out, and think about how you could recreate it within your school:
🏅 Enrollment Video Campaign Recognition – University View Academy, LA – Aaron Hyder
Promoting a virtual school can be tricky, but this campaign by University View Academy nailed it. “UVA Our Way” is a compelling series that spotlights one family’s real-life experience with virtual learning.
After a three-hour visit, Aaron and his team created multiple videos showcasing the family’s passions, routines, and advice for other students. It’s a thoughtful and inspiring look at how virtual education can work in different homes. Take a look:
🏅 Fantastic Campaign Recognition – Bellingham Public Schools, WA – Andrew Forhan
Faced with two levy renewals, Bellingham Public Schools crafted a campaign that connected the sometimes confusing and/or mundane “numbers” side of school finance funding to the student experience.
But social media was just one aspect of the district’s campaign. The effort also featured a series of short-form videos, highlighting students and staff experiencing classes, programs, and technology funded by the levies.
BPS’s holistic campaign efforts and direct focus on the student experience paid off! After clearly and consistently communicating its message to the community, BPS saw two levies supported by the community with a 66% majority vote!
Here are a few of the Reels BPS shared:
Career and Technical Education
🏅 Inclusion Recognition – Sioux Falls School District, SD – Tory Stolen
Sioux Falls School District held a special event that brought students together from all four of its high schools to celebrate inclusion. Combined basketball teams played one another while the unified cheer team and show choir provided entertainment between games!
This celebratory post with vibrant still images from the event proves that not everything needs to be a video to earn great engagement!
🏅 Instagram Idol Recognition – Mesa Public Schools, AZ – Adam Waybright
If there’s a district that’s crushing its Instagram presence, it’s Mesa Public Schools. With a focus on creating high-quality, relatable, and trend-savvy content that connects with a younger audience, this Instagram account has reached over 2.7 million people in the past school year.
Take a look at MPS’s captivating photography and engaging content and see for yourself why the district made our list of Honorable Mentions!
🏅 Little Moments That Matter Recognition – Tippecanoe School Corporation, IN – Sue Scott
We spy a Boilermaker!
Just weeks after the Purdue Men’s Basketball team played in the National Championship game, standout player Trey Kaufman-Renn visited an elementary school in Tippecanoe School Corporation to share an inspiring message about sportsmanship with students.
The post had 623 reactions, 40 comments, and 91 shares, making it one of the school’s most engaging posts of the season.
Sue shared how she made this post successful:
- Timely and relevant: Posting soon after Purdue’s championship run capitalized on peak interest.
- Authentic storytelling: She focused on the students’ excitement and Kaufman-Renn’s message.
- Compelling visuals: A powerful image of Kaufman-Renn with students helped tell the story instantly.
- Community engagement: Tagging Purdue Basketball and using strategic hashtags extended the post’s reach.
Take notes on that checklist – these are things you can consider for your posts, too!
🏅 Little Moments That Matter Recognition – The Potomac School, VA – Rita Deurdulian
The Potomac School prides itself on the relationships that students develop not only with their teachers but also with their bus drivers throughout the years.
This special moment between bus driver Ms. LaTricia and her third- and fifth-grade riders highlights the lasting impact she has had on them. What a powerful display of staff and student connection! The combination of captivating video footage and photos shared on the school’s Instagram page has garnered over 5,000 views.
Pro Tip: It’s easy to post videos and photos together in an Instagram post – all you need to do is post natively within the Instagram app! You may also be able to do this on Facebook within the Meta Business Suite app – Meta has been gradually rolling out this feature to users’ accounts.
🏅 Long-Form Video Recognition – Jenison Public Schools, MI – Ben Huff
Jenison Public Schools won a Golden Gribble Award in 2024, and this year, the district is claiming a spot on our Honorable Mentions list with this show-stopping video. The team went behind the scenes of the theater program’s production of Seussical, showcasing the students’ hard work that brought the play to life.
Get inspired:
🏅 Long-Form Video Recognition – Green Bay Area Public School District, WI – Justine Braun
After experiencing some friction within the community, the Green Bay Area Public School District selected a unifying theme for the 2024/2025 school year: “Together We Are One.” The goal of this theme was to recognize and celebrate the district’s diversity while also fostering a sense of unity among its schools.
GBAPS created a music video, which was distributed to staff and families via email and shared on its social media channels. The video, “Together We Are One”, features lyrics and music composed by one of the district’s music teachers, as well as a diverse group of students performing the song that includes phrases in Hmong, Somali, Spanish, and American Sign Language.
Justine collaborated with a local technical college to use its recording studio, then edited the footage just in time to release the finished video before the school year began. Do yourself a favor and watch it now – it will give you goosebumps!!
🏅 Power of Social Media Recognition – Saint Bernard School, CT – Shari Marderness
When we think of school social media, we often think of our channels as platforms to share the celebrations and accomplishments of our students and staff. However, in a time of tragedy within the school community, Saint Bernard School saw firsthand how it can also be a place of comfort, peace, and support after sharing this post.
Shari shared,
This post exemplifies the power of social media in uniting a community through empathy, support, and remembrance. In a time of tragedy, it provided a digital space for collective mourning, healing, and solidarity. The post’s heartfelt message, combined with the touching tribute from students and the lacrosse team, resonated deeply with the audience, fostering engagement, reflection, and prayer.
Beyond just words, it showcased the school’s unwavering support for the Wilson family, uplifting the spirits of those affected. Its emotional depth, authenticity, and ability to bring people together make it a shining example of how social media can be a force for compassion and connection.
Social media has the power to bring people together. You know your community best – as long as you ask permission from the family, it is OK to share moments like this.
🏅 School Pride Campaign Recognition – Watertown-Mayer Public Schools, MN – Heather Heun
Heather Heun at Watertown-Mayer Public Schools started a series called “111 Reasons to be a Royal,” playing off of the fact that the district is known as ISD 111 in Minnesota and its mascot is the Royals.
In this series, staff, students, parents, and community members share their reasons for loving the district. Not only has it created great engagement on the school’s page, but there has also been a lot of buzz around the school campus and in the community about the amazing things happening in the district.
It’s always a win to showcase school pride!
🏅 Staff Highlight Recognition – Davis School District, UT – Noelle Olsen & the Communications Team
Did you know Black History Month is celebrated every February? Davis School District used the month to recognize teachers and staff within the district, helping them share their personal stories through a social media series that the communications team dubbed “Celebrating Our Own.”
The team asked participants to reflect on key milestones, such as their career journey, cultural perspectives, and significant contributions to their communities, and crafted heartfelt posts and short articles to celebrate their accomplishments.
The series was so well-received by the community that DSD expanded it to Women’s History Month during March! They also plan to continue this initiative to recognize staff during various heritage and awareness months in the future.
Here are a few examples of DSD’s “Celebrating Our Own” posts for Black History Month:
- Corby Eason, Principal
- Camille Jolly, Second Grade Teacher
- Chris Carpenter, District Coordinator for the Office of Equal Opportunity
- Caray Long, Assistant Principal
Noelle shared,
Shining a light on our staff, this initiative has not only boosted morale within the district but also helped strengthen our connection with the broader community. The “Celebrating Our Own” series has touched many hearts and created a sense of pride across Davis School District.
🏅 Trending Vertical Video Recognition – Dodgeville School District, WI – Kira Runde
The Dodgeville School District hopped on the “camera jump” trend to highlight the journey of its students from their earliest days in school to their senior graduation day, each jump symbolizing growth and progression of time.
The result? A video that struck an emotional chord with the school community and far beyond. As you can see, with 1.9 million views, 31K reactions, 1.4K comments, and 4.9K shares, it quickly went viral and became the district’s most engaging piece of content to date.
This video is proof that even if it’s an idea that’s already been done before, you can still get massive reach!
🏅 Honorable Mentions… Continued!
I could write for days about our Honorable Mentions!! You can see why selecting the winners of our Best of School Social Media Awards is such a challenging task every year. There are SO many great stories being shared and celebrated on schools’ social media pages, across the country.
Let’s not stop the inspiration train – keep clicking through for more outstanding post ideas:
🏅 Long-Form Video Recognition – Sioux Falls School District, SD – Tory Stolen
🏅 Student Contributor Recognition – Christ The King Academy, Alberta, Canada – Jeylyn Sarmiento
🏅 Outstanding Photography Recognition – Bellingham Public Schools, WA – Andrew Forhan
🏅 Outstanding Photography Recognition – Dalton Public Schools, GA – Ashley Grycz
🏅 Outstanding Photography Recognition – Labette County High School, KS – Isabelle Leake
🏅 Outstanding Photography Recognition – Rappahannock County Public Schools, VA – Hollyann E. Jenkins
🏅 Outstanding Photography Recognition – Central Wisconsin Christian, WI – Karysa Helmrick
🏅 Power of Social Media Recognition – Delavan-Darien School District, WI – Ashley Duchemin
🏅 Power of Social Media Recognition – Hamilton Community Schools, MI – Zach Harig
🏅 Staff Highlight Recognition – Ozark School District, MO – Amelia Wigton
🏅 Staff Highlight Recognition – Clinton School District, MO – Angie Lawson
🏅 Staff Highlight Recognition – Genesee Valley Central School, NY – Jeff Babbitt
🏅 Staff Highlight Recognition – Hamilton Community Schools, MI – Zach Harig
🏅 Staff Highlight Recognition – Zeeland Public Schools, MI – Brandy Navetta
🏅 Staff Highlight Recognition – Cannon School, NC – Elizabeth Isenhour
🏅 Staff Highlight Recognition – SkyView Academy, CO – Sarah Powell
🏅 Staff Highlight Recognition – Florence 1 Schools, SC – Melissa Rollins
🏅 Staff Recruitment Recognition – Downingtown Area School District, PA – Danielle Sabulsky
🏅 Student Highlight Recognition – Splendora ISD, TX – Deitra Johnson
🏅 Trending Vertical Video Recognition – Aspen Academy, CO – Peter Buchholz
🏅 Trending Vertical Video Recognition – Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8, CO – Miranda Lopez
🏅 Trending Vertical Video Recognition – Wylie ISD, TX – Casi Thedford
🏅 Trending Vertical Video Recognition – Amber Charter Schools, NY – Daine DuPree
🏅 Trending Vertical Video Recognition – St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School, VA – Mandi Sapp
Once again, congratulations to all of our 2025 Golden Gribble Honorable Mentions!
These posts and videos showcase the creativity, heart, and storytelling power that make school social media such a vital connection point for students, staff, and communities. I hope that these 42 post ideas have you fired up to share your school’s story this year, and maybe even take home your own Golden Gribble next year!!
