I love writing about schools using social media to celebrate their students. It’s such a feel-good thing, you know?

Well this week, I’m really excited because I’m sharing a story about a friend who is ROCKING the #SchoolPR world with the work she is doing in Mineral Point, Wisconsin. She wasn’t a friend until I started this business. But do you know the advice, you should make friends with the smart people in class, because that will end up helping you?

Well, sorry to admit it Joelle, but that’s kind of what happened with me and you. I saw how amazing you were and really wanted to learn. We connected through Twitter, and then in real life. So now I’m not a scary stalker (I don’t think). I’m a true fan and I get to give back a little bit by highlighting her great work!

To share the real story, I took time to interview Dr. Luke Francois, the District Administrator for #PointerNation. He is an amazing leader (as you’ll soon find out) and the way he has embraced social media is going to make this article one worth passing on to your leadership team!

Now, this journey of one school is truly a masterclass in what social media can do to transform the school culture, which has a ripple effect into the community. So without any further delay, let’s get started!

When did you start using social media?

Upon arriving at the district in 2011, communication and transparency was one of the three biggest issues facing the district. My attempts to communicate well included a quarterly newsletter, an overhauled website, and coffee with the community. One year later, a school board member ran with a focus to improve communications and transparency despite my year’s worth of effort. At this point, it was necessary to think differently about efforts to engage a community and I looked to suburban schools for what was working well. In highly engaged communities, a communications director was used. In a small rural community, only two applicants applied for a posting for a half-time position. The person selected was an award-winning journalist and editor of the local paper, Joelle Doye. Her shift from community news to school communications was so successful that it led to a full-time position.

The District’s Strategic Plan clearly listed communication and community engagement as areas of focus. To address the needs of the district, Joelle not only reported on school news but ramped up community engagement by serving as President of the Kiwanis, Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce, moderator for community forums and open houses, and traveled with me to coffee with community.

Joelle attends administrative meetings to fully understand the complexities of problems with full knowledge of solutions considered. Because of the need for confidentiality in administrative meetings, it was essential that trust and rapport were established between administrators and Joelle. This trust proved to be invaluable as Joelle not only listened to sensitive information but was further able to counsel the administrative team on how to best address communication of topics in a transparent manner while protecting the privacy of students and staff. With the district’s image at the forefront of all decision-making, Joelle does a tremendous job of helping others see the broader picture. The better Joelle does at her job of communications, the better I am able to focus on the role of superintendent.

The platforms used at Mineral Point Schools include WordPress for the website, Facebook and Twitter for social media, and Skylert/Skyward for a student management system. Facebook is hands down the top platform utilized as the voice of the district. Starting in 2012, the platform did not take off until under the leadership of Joelle. Twitter continues to be the platform to share the voice of individual educators in their profession under a unifying hashtag of #PointerNation. YouTube channels were implemented to host school board meetings, concerts, and community communications increasing transparency.

What types of things do you share on your social media channels?

Social media channels using Facebook include academic, athletic, and activity achievements to include photos, recognitions, and newsworthy events as well as links to board meetings that bring a continuous message that changes with the changing of the seasons. Joelle is an award winning photographer and her high quality photos bring Facebook to life. Calendar events, lunch menus, and meeting notices can all be enhanced with better graphics and photos. The app Canva is a tool that Joelle uses to bring fun graphics to school images. School board meetings have reached more people than ever before by videotaping the session and placing it on YouTube, followed by a summary of the meeting that is used by the local newspaper and on school blogs. With a weekly newspaper in the community, Mineral Point School District now becomes the daily newsfeed in town. Often times the local newspaper lifts our daily news into the weekly newspaper thereby allowing the school to essentially control its own message.

How important is a hashtag?

The right hashtag is everything. My first attempt to use a hashtag was for a school account using #mpschools. I was pretty much the only person using the hashtag. A year later it was noticed that the local wrestling team was using Pointer Nation consistently and it was catching on. Jumping on to what was already successful, a shift was made from #mpschools to #PointerNation and the response significantly increased the traffic found on the school Twitter feed. Use a hashtag that resonates with the audience and then publish daily happenings on Twitter. Doing so captures your daily activities much like a diary of your thoughts on where/how you spend your time. It is especially helpful to share what professional development or meetings you are partaking in for people that think you are out of the building too much.

How have you used social media to recognize staff?

On the district-wide Facebook page, Joelle shared birthday celebrations. A few staff members were concerned about privacy issues related to posting birthdates so a shift was made to #StaffSalutes on the days surrounding one’s birthday. Years of service awards were resurrected from years gone by and shared on Facebook as staff reached certain milestones such as 10, 20, or 30 years of service. Lastly, an effort is made to share staff celebrations, opportunities for continued learning and professional development, or when teams or individuals speak in a professional setting. Not every teacher loves the recognition, but overall, the culture is shifting to reflect the efforts made through social media.

What is the secret to your Facebook following?

Joelle understands how Facebook algorithms work and that is key to creating a large following on social media. It is not enough to ask people to like a post. Sharing a post increases followers and that in turn increases engagement and the number of reaches. High-quality photos and videos are more likely to be shared than word text. Post about everyday events that highlight the successes in the classroom and beyond with good quality photos and allow the community to do the rest by sharing. Joelle does a great job of taking action photos in sports, medal recipients in activities, and capturing the passion that students and families have for the district.

What feedback have you received from your community?

After my second year and upon the hiring of Joelle, I ceased to hear about the need for better communication or more transparency. Joelle circulated a recent survey that shared that 84% of community stakeholders were satisfied or completely satisfied with district communications. From Milwaukee to Green Bay, I meet with Superintendents that know our school through our Facebook page and website and complement the work of our Communications Director. Reiterating the great job Joelle is doing is her recent recognition at WSPRA and as a rising star at NSPRA each of the last two years. Joelle is first to point out that in a small rural setting, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog.”

My thoughts? Watch out for a Chihuahua Pitbull mix named Joelle Doye.