Every year, I think to myself, “It can’t possibly get better than this.”
And every year, when my annual awards season comes along, you prove me wrong!
Welcome to the 6th Annual Golden Gribble Awards, celebrating the best of the best in school social media. My team and I combed through nearly 400 submissions from 248 individual communications pros spanning 40 states and 3 countries.
And since school communicators are getting better, bolder, and more creative every year, we had to increase the number of awards for 2026, too:
- 2021: 12 awards
- 2022: 15 awards
- 2023: 20 awards
- 2024: 22 awards
- 2025: 25 awards
- 2026: 31 awards
That’s right; we’re celebrating 30 Golden Gribble-winning schools with 31 awards in this very special blog!
Choosing 31 winners from 396 submissions was no small feat. My team and I pored over every single entry. If you submitted and didn’t win this year, your work still matters. We’ll be recognizing honorable mentions in an upcoming summer blog, so stay tuned!
Now, I also want to share something that makes this awards program so special to me. The categories aren’t always predetermined. Sometimes I review a submission and think, “This is so good, I have to create a category just for it.”
That’s the beauty of this community: You constantly surprise me and push me to think bigger.
So whether you’re here because you won, because you submitted, or because you just love school social media as much as I do, welcome. Let’s celebrate!
How to Use This List
- Watch the awards ceremony recording to see exactly why each winner was chosen. Trust me – it’s a masterclass in what’s going RIGHT in school social media right now.
- Follow each winning school’s social media to see firsthand how they work their magic.
- Screenshot or bookmark your favorite ideas and save them in your inspiration folder for the next time you’re stuck on what to post.
- Share this blog with your team, your superintendent, or any colleague who needs a reminder of what’s possible.
- Cheer the winners on! Head to social media and give these schools a shoutout. They worked hard, and they deserve every bit of recognition.
Now, are you ready to meet this year’s winners? Let’s go!
🏆 American Idol Superintendent Award – Portage Public Schools, MI – Michelle Karpinski and Johnny Edwards
Michelle Karpinski and Johnny Edwards from Portage Public Schools in Michigan earned this one-of-a-kind award for capturing an absolutely unforgettable moment featuring Johnny, the district’s superintendent, and his seriously impressive vocal talent!
When students arrived for holiday caroling, their superintendent surprised everyone by breaking into song himself. Michelle had the instincts to hit record, and the rest is Golden Gribble history. Watch this authentic, joy-filled video below, and you’ll understand why it racked up over 21,000 views. It’s a beautiful reminder of the genuine connection between school leadership and students.
This is exactly the kind of moment you can’t script, stage, or plan – and that’s precisely what makes it so powerful. As this win proves, the best content often comes from simply having your phone ready and the courage to capture what’s right in front of you.
🏆 Best Day in the Life Video Award – Madison School District, AZ – Haley Crowell and Jayleen Espinoza
Haley Crowell and Jayleen Espinoza from the Madison School District in Arizona turned a trending content format into a powerful enrollment and community-engagement tool. Their award-winning “Day in the Life” video series follows students throughout the school day, giving families an authentic, inside look at what learning actually feels like at the district.
What makes this series especially clever is its strategic purpose: The videos were created specifically to increase parent attendance at the district’s annual Discovery Tour event.
And it worked!
Attendance went up, and positive feedback poured in from teachers, principals, school leaders, parents, and board members.
The student voiceover is one of my favorite parts of this series. Hearing a child narrate her own school day in her own words is pure magic, and the team made sure to pair it with captions so every viewer could follow along. It’s a great reminder that captions aren’t just an accessibility best practice (though they absolutely are!); they’re also essential for viewers watching without sound.
When you combine a popular format with a clear goal, authentic student voices, and smart execution, the results speak for themselves.
🏆 Best Reels – Jackson County Central School, MN – Emily Anderson
Emily Anderson from Jackson County Central School in Minnesota took a lesson from the Social Media for Schools Retreat last summer and ran with it – straight to 2 million views per quarter on Facebook and over 155,000 views in a single month on Instagram!
Emily embraced one powerful mantra from the retreat: “Published over perfect.” And her results prove that this was the right move.
One of her most memorable Reels is the video below of a player walking through the tunnel. It doesn’t feature emotional music or a polished caption. It’s just a raw, real, authentic moment – and people absolutely loved it.
It’s a powerful reminder that your community wants to feel something. They want stories!
Emily also jumped on trending formats like “What Were You Like in the ’90s?” and even collaborated with Brooke Viss from Morris Area School District on a section championship video. Their friendship and professional connection were born at that summer retreat!
Emily’s success is proof that consistency, authenticity, and the courage to just hit “post” are the ideal formula. Don’t wait for perfection! If you’ve been sitting on content because it doesn’t feel “polished enough,” let Emily’s success be your inspiration.
🏆 Best Student-Run Social Media – New Life Academy, MN – Ayla Douglas – New Life News Team
The New Life News Team from New Life Academy in Minnesota is back – and they’re taking home this award for the second year in a row!
Michelle Jacobson nominated Ayla Douglas and this incredible student team, which operates as a full elective class at New Life. Students are taught to research, write, and report news that’s relevant to their peers. They manage their own Instagram account, produce weekly news segments for middle and high school chapels, and consistently create content that rivals what you’d see from professional communicators.
And the accolades don’t stop at the Golden Gribble: One student on the team earned an Upper Midwest Student Production Award in the AV High School All-Star category for her work this year! How cool is that?!
These students aren’t just learning social media; they’re building real, marketable, career-ready skills that could open doors for them well beyond graduation.
From clever trending formats to thoughtful interview-style videos, photos, and storytelling segments, the New Life News Team proves time and time again that when you empower students with real responsibility and real tools, they will absolutely rise to the occasion.
🏆 Best Use of AI – Charlotte Christian School, NC – Erin Butler
Erin Butler from Charlotte Christian School in North Carolina is no stranger to the Golden Gribble stage. This year, she’s back with one of the most creative and crowd-pleasing submissions of the entire awards season!
Erin jumped on the “baby avatar” trend in the best possible way, using HeyGen to create a baby version of her head of school, delivering back-to-school messages to each division of the school. The concept alone is brilliant, but the execution is what really made it shine. The head of school provided voice text after the baby avatar was already created. Some lines were scripted, but the best ones were completely improvised!
The result is a series of videos that had the entire school community laughing, sharing, and coming back for more. And because the AI avatar was already built, Erin was able to repurpose it quickly and easily for additional content, including a snow day announcement that required almost no extra effort to produce.
Erin proved that AI, when used right, can be an incredibly powerful storytelling tool for schools.
🏆 Best “Wait for It” Moment – Greene County Schools, NC – Astrid Nava
Astrid Nava from Greene County Schools in North Carolina didn’t capture this viral moment. Instead, she saw a student’s TikTok video, recognized its potential, reached out to the student, and helped spread the school band’s pure joy to a much bigger audience!
The video reached nearly 2 million people, generated 3,600 comments and 3,100 shares, and caught the attention of local and national media. Good Morning America covered the story, and the band director was invited to appear on the Kelly Clarkson Show!
There are two powerful lessons packed into this one award. First, the “wait for it” format works because it builds anticipation and provides emotional payoff. Just as importantly, Astrid’s experience is a reminder to always pay attention to what students and community members are capturing on their own devices.
Sometimes the best content for your school’s pages is already out there. You just have to keep your eyes open.
🏆 Community Connection – Cherry Creek School District, CO – CCSD Communications Team
The Communications Team from Cherry Creek School District in Colorado earned this award for a campaign that goes far beyond its reach and engagement.
Cherry Creek School District is a Purple Heart District, which means the district is deeply committed to supporting military-connected students and families. Every year, all 67 schools in the district come together to honor military members and veterans in a coordinated, heartfelt tribute that the team ensures gets the attention it deserves on social media.
Each post in the campaign earned between 5,000 and 23,000 views, which is excellent exposure for the district, yet the biggest reward is the feedback from veterans themselves. They have shared how seen, appreciated, and honored they feel because of what Cherry Creek shared online.
In other words, impact is the real power of school social media!
🏆 CTE Highlight – Washtenaw ISD, MI – Ashley Kryscynski and Andrew Munson
Ashley Kryscynski and Andrew Munson from Washtenaw ISD in Michigan earned this award for a smart, strategic campaign that significantly elevated awareness of the district’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs.
Washtenaw ISD is a regional service agency in the Ann Arbor area. The team faced a challenge: Only 25% of local residents were familiar with the CTE program. So instead of guessing, they did their research and built an 8-video series designed to create a unified brand and clearly show the value of CTE!
These videos highlight the breadth of the program and help viewers understand that CTE is more than one pathway or one type of student. As a result, the series earned nearly 200,000 views and helped generate meaningful community awareness! Even more impressive, the momentum later contributed to a successful ballot question supporting CTE.
This is a powerful example of social media being used to build understanding and long-term support for important school programs. Not to mention a positive ROI on your social media efforts!!
🏆 Facebook Standout – Lockport City School District, NY – Denyel Beiter and Bridget Licata
Denyel Beiter and Bridget Licata from Lockport City School District in New York earned this award for building a Facebook presence that is visually strong, highly engaging, and deeply purposeful.
The district’s official page has become an important tool for replacing unofficial community pages that had been filled with misinformation. Through a consistent posting cadence, eye-catching visuals, strong storytelling, and a clear focus on students, Denyel and Bridget have created a trusted digital space that reflects the heart of the district.
Every post ties back to their purpose and identity: “We are Lions. We All Belong.” That message comes through loud and clear in the district’s content, whether the post celebrates students, promotes important information, or uses video to support major initiatives.
And the results are remarkable!
In 2025, the page’s reach was 52 times its follower count, with more than 340,000 different people seeing content from Lockport City Schools. They also added 1,200 new followers organically and grew to 6,500 followers. All of this in a district serving about 4,200 students!
This is what it looks like when a school district uses Facebook with intention. I’m so proud of Lockport City for rising above the noise and establishing the Facebook page as the go-to source for accurate information.
🏆 Inclusion – Sumner-Bonney Lake School District, WA – Allison Hollingsworth
Allison Hollingsworth from Sumner-Bonney Lake School District in Washington earned this award for sharing a beautiful story of belonging.
The winning content centers on a student whose school community came together to support her success. Through the collaboration of a music teacher, STEM teacher, and paraeducator, the district proves what it looks like to truly include every student.
What makes this submission especially strong is its thoughtful storytelling approach. Allison’s team paired a short-form video (see below) with a longer written story on the district website, allowing the story to reach audiences in multiple ways. The content also centered the student voice and used on-screen text – extra credit for accessibility! – to help tell the story.
This submission perfectly reflects the district’s promise: “To know, value, and support every student.” And the response from the community made it clear that this story really resonates. What a powerful reminder that social media can shine a light on the everyday moments that define a school’s culture!
🏆 Instagram Idol – Private School – New Life Academy, MN – NLA MarCom Team
The NLA MarCom Team from New Life Academy in Minnesota is taking home yet another Golden Gribble this year, and it’s easy to see why!
New Life Academy’s Instagram presence is fun, engaging, and consistently full of strong storytelling. The content gives followers a vibrant look at student life, special events, behind-the-scenes moments, and the people who make the school community so special. It also reveals a clear sense of the school’s Christ-centered culture.
What makes this page stand out is the creativity behind the storytelling. This team is not afraid to try unique concepts, have a little fun, and celebrate students and staff in ways that feel fresh and authentic!
If you’re looking for a private school that does a beautiful job of blending community, mission, and joy on Instagram, New Life Academy is the one to follow.
🏆 Instagram Idol – Public School – Mahtomedi Public Schools, MN – Alice Seuffert
Alice Seuffert from Mahtomedi Public Schools in Minnesota earned this award for running an intentional, effective Instagram strategy!
When you follow the account, what will stand out right away is that Alice is not posting randomly. She has a clear content calendar and a system for telling stories well! One of her strengths is “splitting the story,” meaning she finds multiple ways to extend and repurpose great content instead of letting one moment live in just one place.
She also has a strong network of storytelling partners, including administrators, staff, student interns, and Community Education. That team approach helps Mahtomedi keep content flowing while showcasing the full life of the district.
And then there are the Reels! Alice uses Reels extensively – and not just on Instagram. Her videos are also repurposed for electronic newsletters, printed newsletters, the website, and even major district campaigns. As of March 31, 2026, Mahtomedi had shared 92 Reels during the 2025/2026 school year, reaching 172,000 people on Instagram alone. On top of that, 16 videos were used as part of the district’s successful referendum campaign.
This is a great example of what happens when strong planning meets exceptional storytelling. Alice’s work proves that Instagram can be a central engine for district-wide communication!
🏆 Instagram Story – Notre Dame Academy, WI – Cassidy Hempel
Cassidy Hempel from Notre Dame Academy in Wisconsin earned this award for creatively using Instagram Stories to drive real engagement!
Check out her fun, March Madness-style Story series, for example! By using Instagram’s built-in poll feature, she invited her audience to participate, vote, and keep coming back to see which choices advanced.
This clever campaign led to a 246% increase in profile activity, proving that interactive Story features can do a lot more than fill space. When used well, they can boost visibility, encourage repeat engagement, and create a stronger connection with your audience.
This is a great reminder that Instagram Stories still matter. Cassidy found a smart, school-specific way to use them – what will you try?
🏆 Leveraging LinkedIn – North East ISD, TX – North East ISD Communications
The Communications Department from North East ISD in Texas earned this award for taking a platform many schools overlook and turning it into a strategic communications asset!
NEISD has intentionally reimagined what school district content can look like on LinkedIn. Rather than focusing only on parents and staff, they use LinkedIn to position NEISD as a school system, a workforce pipeline, a community partner, and a hub of innovation.
The content mix is thoughtful – student achievements, staff recognition, alumni success stories, CTE programs, business partnerships, and major district initiatives. Overall, the page feels purposeful, polished, and highly relevant to a professional audience!
This is a smart reminder that LinkedIn is not just for job postings. It can also help school districts like yours tell a broader story about impact, and even open doors to new partnerships!
🏆 Little Moments That Matter – Cedar Springs Public Schools, MI – Amy McCarthy
Amy McCarthy from Cedar Springs Public Schools in Michigan earned this award for capturing an everyday school moment and sharing it online (with some savvy editing!)
The story centered on Jaxton, a student who loves playing the electric guitar. After his teacher learned about that passion, Jaxton and his dad performed for the class!
Amy made a smart storytelling decision with the final edit. The original video was several minutes long, but to make it more engaging for social media, she cut it down to just 38 seconds. That edit paid off in a big way: 25% of viewers watched the entire video, which is an incredible retention rate. The post also earned 153,000 views, 200+ comments, and 241 shares.
Perhaps most impressive of all: 94.5% of the views came from non-followers, proving just how powerful a simple story can be when it’s packaged well for social media!
Small moments = big impact. Not every post needs a big campaign or a polished production!
🏆 Long-Form Video Award – Private School – Salesianum School, DE – Sandy Sutty
Sandy Sutty from Salesianum School in Delaware earned this award for a simple video that brings viewers behind closed doors and into one of the school’s most unique student clubs.
Watch to learn about Salesianum’s Aquarium Club! Students guide viewers through the experience, introducing some memorable aquatic residents along the way. You’ll see that the format is really straightforward, but that’s exactly what made it work. It blends information with student voice, giving the broader community a chance to see a side of school life they otherwise might never have known existed.
Sandy’s video earned 147,325 views, and 95.9% of those views came from non-followers, showing just how far a well-told story can travel! Even better, the visibility sparked interest from sister schools that are now considering starting similar clubs of their own.
This is a great reminder that long-form video does not need to be flashy or complicated. Sometimes the best approach is simply inviting people in and letting students tell the story.
🏆 Long-Form Video Award – Public School – Troy City School District, NY – Jason P. Laz
Watch this video all the way through without crying. I dare you!
Jason Laz from Troy City School District in New York earned this award for taking a familiar graduation concept and turning it into something unforgettable, earning 23,000+ views in the process.
Graduation walkthrough videos are popular for good reason, but Jason’s version stood out because of the storytelling. Paired with great music and a moving student voiceover, the video captures both the excitement of the moment and the emotional weight of how quickly the years pass by. It invites viewers to feel every step of the journey from kindergarten to graduation day.
This is a strong example of how the right narration can completely transform a video. Listen in as the student voiceover gives the video warmth and heart!
🏆 Most Students Featured in One Video – Burke County Public Schools, NC – Cheryl M. Shuffler & Bethany Duncan
Cheryl Shuffler and Bethany Duncan from Burke County Public Schools in North Carolina won one of this year’s most fun and creative categories! Their video brings together a huge number of students and staff in one energetic invitation.
The goal was to promote a school event, but they did it in such a unique way. They started with a script, assigned short lines to different students and staff members, and let the collective energy do the rest. The result celebrates student voices, showcases different abilities, and makes viewers want to be part of the event!
Even better – the event tickets sold out in just one week! This is a great reminder that promotional content does not have to be complicated to be successful.
🏆 Outstanding Photography – Center for Instruction, Technology & Innovation, NY – Brandon Wood
Brandon Wood from the Center for Instruction, Technology & Innovation in New York earned this award with a photo that instantly tells a story. His image features a student who is well known in the school community for his personality and signature smile.
And that joy comes through so clearly in the final shot! It’s the kind of photo that makes people stop scrolling because it feels genuine, uplifting, and full of heart.
The post reached more than 13,000 viewers, but what also stands out is the strategy behind it. Brandon shared a few preview photos first and let followers know that a full gallery from the event was still to come.
That is such a smart, real-world approach for busy school communicators! You do not always have time to edit and post every image right away. Brandon’s post proves that giving your audience a strong sneak peek can still create excitement and drive engagement, while buying you time to finish the rest.
🏆 Outstanding Photography – Middletown City School District, OH – Meggie Bierkan
Meggie Bierkan from Middletown City School District in Ohio earned this award for photography that captures the kind of school moments that make people stop and smile. Check out the eye-catching photos in the post – I just love the interaction between older and younger students, the sense of community, and the overall display of school pride!
Meggie’s photography work isn’t limited to this one post. She makes a concentrated effort to highlight the full spectrum of life in the district, with a strong focus on academics, athletics, and the arts, on the district’s social media.
And the numbers show that it’s working! Over an 8-month window, Middletown saw a 61.8% increase in views, reaching more than 5.9 million organic views. That kind of growth proves just how powerful visual storytelling can be!
🏆 Power of Social Media Award – Photos – Waunakee Community School District, WI – Anne Blackburn
Anne Blackburn from Waunakee Community School District in Wisconsin earned this award for a story that perfectly captures what school social media can do at its very best.
Her winning submission is a genuine, student-centered story that reflects the heart of the district’s values. Anne first told it through photos – proving once again that not every powerful story needs to begin with video. In fact, the authenticity of the images is what made the story so compelling!
That honest storytelling resonated far beyond the local community. The story was later picked up by Steve Hartman and shared even more widely. This is such an important reminder for school communicators: Sometimes your strongest content is simply recognizing a meaningful moment and sharing it clearly.
🏆 Power of Social Media Award – Video – Monroe Local Schools, OH – Adam Marcum
Adam Marcum from Monroe Local Schools in Ohio earned this award for a video that proves how stories win, every time.
Using a simple open-mic format, Adam invited students to share small moments from their days. They could be acts of kindness, new friendships, personal wins, and everyday gratitude.
The result is so moving!
Watch the video to see how it highlights the goodness in young people, and how even the smallest moments can make a big difference in someone’s life. On Instagram alone, the video earned 8,920,663 views, 121,000 shares, 8,000 comments, and more than six years of total watch time. On Facebook, it brought in 1,431,116 views and 2,000 new followers.
Adam summed it up beautifully: “This video is a reminder that our kids – and our future – are in good hands.”
Learn all about the open-mic hallway video format and how you can recreate it for your school in this helpful, step-by-step article!
🏆 Staff Highlight – Eden Prairie Schools, MN – Eden Prairie Schools Marketing & Communications Team
The Marketing & Communications Team from Eden Prairie Schools in Minnesota earned this award for its refreshing staff spotlight series. It’s something you can totally recreate at your school, too!
The concept is just “get ready with me for a day of learning,” and gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at how teachers start their day, prepare their classrooms, welcome students, and create meaningful learning experiences. This is a great reminder that staff highlights do not have to be formal or overly polished to be effective.
That narrow focus is part of what makes the idea so smart! Rather than trying to capture an entire “day in the life,” the team zoomed in on just the beginning of the day. That makes the videos easier to produce and more digestible for social media attention spans, while still giving families and followers a rich, personal look inside the school experience.
The videos were unscripted, real, and full of personality. And the series earned more than 51,000 views!
🏆 Staff Recruitment – Pickens County School District, GA – Jennifer Wilson
Can social media increase bus driver applications by 38% across a district? Yes, it can!
Jennifer Wilson from Pickens County School District in Georgia earned this award for a recruitment campaign that addressed a major staffing challenge and delivered real results. Facing a critical shortage of bus drivers, Jennifer and her team created a series of videos that highlighted the practical benefits of the job and the meaningful role bus drivers play in student success.
Their campaign features authentic voices from current drivers who speak about why they love the work. Key selling points are also woven into the stories, like flexible hours, summers off, competitive pay, and health benefits.
This is a smart, human-centered approach to recruitment – and it worked! What a great example of how social media can help a school solve real operational problems.
🏆 Storytelling – Virginia Beach City Public Schools, VA – Department of Communications and Community Engagement
The Department of Communications and Community Engagement from Virginia Beach City Public Schools in Virginia earned this award for recognizing strong student character as the basis for a story! They shared a student’s heartfelt story of bravery and empathy in a way that invites the community to lean in.
Notice how instead of overloading the social post with every detail, they kept the caption short and linked it to a longer story on the school website. That smart approach gives followers just enough to be curious to learn more.
And the response was incredible! Across all platforms, it earned 288,402 views, 402 shares, and 263 comments. More importantly, this post sparks meaningful conversations about what it looks like when students step up in moments that matter.
🏆 Student Feature – Queen Creek Unified School District, AZ – QCUSD PR & Marketing
The PR & Marketing Team from Queen Creek Unified School District in Arizona won the Student Feature Award for their district’s #StudentVoicesQCUSD campaign. The concept is simple: Promote enrollment by showcasing real student experiences in their own words!
The campaign features students talking about what they are involved in, how they have grown, and why they believe other students should enroll in their school. The series gives prospective families a firsthand look at what student life actually feels like.
And it worked! Their efforts helped generate 328 enrollment inquiries, proving that student voice can be one of the most powerful enrollment tools a district has.
🏆 Student Feature – Ulster BOCES/Saugerties Central School District, NY – Kristine Conte
Kristine Conte from Ulster BOCES, working on behalf of Saugerties Central School District in New York, created this campaign that elevates student voices.
After the New York State Education Department called on schools to feature more student voices, Kristine and her team created a thoughtful Student Voice campaign, featuring junior and senior students sharing something meaningful to them. Each post pairs a strong photo with a personal written story, giving students space to speak about an academic passion, extracurricular involvement, career aspiration, personal challenge, or milestone achievement.
What makes this campaign especially meaningful is the intention behind who gets featured. Kristine does not just wait for stories to appear; she actively seeks out underrepresented and overlooked students and invites them to participate. That approach helps ensure the campaign reflects a fuller, more inclusive picture of student life.
The consistent use of the Student Voice logo also gives the series a strong visual identity, making the campaign easy to recognize and follow.
🏆 Student Resilience – Augusta USD 402, KS – Audrey Neuschafer and Renee Combes
Congratulations to Audrey Neuschafer and Renee Combes from Augusta USD 402 in Kansas! They used social media to tell senior stories with extraordinary care and heart.
Instead of featuring only accomplishments or future plans, their storytelling focuses on moments of strength, perseverance, and belonging. The result is a series that honors students not just for what they do, but for who they have become.
One featured student battled cancer. Another showed remarkable resilience after losing both of his parents within just a few months (see below). These are deeply human stories, and Audrey and Renee handle them with respect. Notice how this story also features the support the student received from his school community.
🏆 Successful Social Media Campaign – Clinton School District, MO – Angie Lawson
Angie Lawson from Clinton School District in Missouri won this award for a campaign that turns criticism into one of the smartest alumni storytelling series of the year.
Her campaign, “Beyond the Nest,” was born after a contentious school board meeting about the tax rate. One comment especially sticks with her: “I wouldn’t mind paying taxes if this school district could graduate students who could read, write, and do math.” Angie and her team accepted the challenge to shift public perception and prove the full range of what success looks like after high school.
They created a simple, eye-catching graphic template for their alumni-achievement campaign. The stories feature graduates who went on to college, went straight into the workforce, entered the military, played college athletics, and began a law enforcement career.
Angie’s campaign works because alumni are some of the strongest stories a district can tell.
And it’s easy to sustain! She simply created a 4-question Google Form to gather content:
- What year did you graduate from Clinton High School?
- What have you been up to since high school?
- How did the Clinton School District prepare you for your next steps in life?
- Who else should we feature?
This is such a smart example of strategic storytelling!
🏆 User Generated Content – Saint Bernard School, CT – Shari Marderness
Shari Marderness from Saint Bernard School in Connecticut recognized the power of community-submitted content and turned it into a story that touched thousands.
At the beginning of the year, Shari asks the athletic director to encourage parents to share video footage from events. That simple ask led to something extraordinary: A parent submitted a video along with a message explaining what the moment meant to their family.
The story centers on Landon, a sophomore cross-country runner, and his younger brother Carter, who is autistic and non-verbal. During the team’s only home meet, the entire boys’ cross country team included Carter in their cool-down run. The parent writes that the family leaves in happy tears, grateful that Landon is surrounded by teammates and coaches who acknowledge and accept his brother.
Now that’s a story worth sharing!
Shari stitched video clips together, added music and text overlays, and made sure the heart of the story showed through on screen. That’s an especially smart move, since many viewers never read the full caption on a Reel. The final post earned nearly 20,000 views across Facebook and Instagram, and the story was later picked up by the state athletic conference and local TV.
This is a beautiful example of why it pays to invite user-generated content into your storytelling strategy!
🏆 You’re Reely Awesome – Howard-Suamico School District, WI – Kristin Rozek
Kristin Rozek from Howard-Suamico School District in Wisconsin really knows how to use Reels in creative, thoughtful ways. She hops on trends, but also makes the content her own!
Kristin shared that she used to think trends felt unoriginal or lazy. But after learning more through #SocialSchool4EDU, she shifted her perspective and started experimenting with them in ways that fit her district and her style. That shift leads to noticeable growth and engagement.
One standout video takes a unique POV, using footage gathered throughout an experience and then pulling it together from a teacher’s son’s perspective, earning more than 32,000 views.
Another Reel, built around a walk-in song concept, helped strengthen her relationships with building principals and earned more than 129,000 views.
Kristin’s work is a great reminder that trends are not the enemy. When you use them intentionally and adapt them to your school community, they can become powerful storytelling tools!
And… That’s a Wrap!
Wow, I hope you’re inspired by all of these winners. I know I am!! Every single year, we are blown away by the creativity, heart, and strategy that you bring to your work, and 2026 is no exception.
Thank you to everyone who submitted your work for this year’s Golden Gribble Awards. All of us in the school communications community appreciate you taking the time to share your ideas, your stories, your photos, your videos, your campaigns, and the moments that matter most in your school districts.
And to all 30 of this year’s winners: Congratulations! You are setting the standard, raising the bar, inspiring your peers, and reminding all of us what is possible when school social media is done right. I hope you celebrate this recognition, because you have absolutely earned it.
If you submitted to this year’s awards but didn’t win, I want you to know that your work is no less meaningful. There were so many strong submissions this year, and narrowing them down was so incredibly difficult! That’s why I’m excited to share that honorable mentions will be announced soon – in a separate blog coming this summer.
Thank you for the work you do every day to help your schools shine. I can’t wait to keep celebrating with you!
