Woodbury, MN – What started as a special project with her daughter’s school district in little New Auburn, WI has grown exponentially into a full time business for Andrea Gribble.

“I love social media,” Gribble shared. “I was helping businesses use social media for marketing when Brian Henning, then District Administrator for New Auburn School District, asked for help to launch and manage Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for the school. It was so fun, because it wasn’t really like marketing. It was just story telling – a chance to share all of the incredible things that were happening inside of our small school.”

After the successful launch in April of 2014 with that one district, Gribble found out other schools needed help. Fast forward three years and her company, #SocialSchool4EDU, has now directly served over 30 school districts in four different states. She’s also offered training to more than 500 districts across North America.

And there is no sign of slowing down. Her business tripled in it’s second year, doubled in it’s third year, and is projected to double yet again in 2017. In addition to her paid services, she blogs and shares free webinars on a regular basis to help other schools.

“Our team feels so blessed to be able to do what we do, as a partner with these schools,” stated Gribble. “In a time where school choice is a reality, schools need to be more deliberate about shouting out their successes. As we’ve grown, so has our team, and now is the time to take our service to the next level.”

Her team is made up of over a dozen subcontracted women, most of whom are college-educated, stay-at-home moms. Many are former teachers. The experienced team has crafted their work on Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms to provide excellent graphic design support, 365 days per year service, and peace of mind to school partners.

A few schools even have their posts go up in both English and Spanish. The affordable service (management starts at less than $600 per month) is the perfect fit for districts with no communications department.

To continue to support and grow the business, there is a new leader being added to the team. Gribble has partnered with Heidi Feller, who will act as the company’s CIO – Chief Inspiration Officer. She will be in charge of customer service with our partner schools as well as team development of our growing base of account managers.

Heidi is passionate about the world of education as it relates to social media. A former high school German teacher, Heidi comes from a LONG line of educators. She earned a B.S. in Secondary Education from U.W. Madison (go Badgers).

Feller was a one-woman communications team for her kids’ district, which included launching a Facebook page, adding more than 2000 page likes in less than one year! She knows the power that social media can have on our schools and can’t wait to share it with your district. Heidi’s impressive work was recently highlighted in a feature here on our blog on the Reedsburg School District in Wisconsin. She is finishing up the school year serving the district in her part-time role but will start with the team at #SocialSchool4EDU in May.

“I am beyond pumped to join this team!” Feller shared. “Andrea has a proven system to help schools celebrate their students and staff and help build engagement within the communities they serve. I am excited to take all that I have learned and apply it to other schools. Our teachers and students knock their socks off learning and growing each school day and the world needs to know it! Andrea’s team, of which I am honored to be part of, is second to none.”

The challenging part of this transition for Heidi is that she is leaving the Reedsburg School District. “Reedsburg is my home,” Feller explained. “ My husband and I have raised our children here. From the moment we dropped our daughter off twelve years ago for her first day of school, I have been involved in some aspect of our district. The list includes volunteer, PTO president, substitute teacher, volunteer coordinator and most recently, website and social media coordinator. I BELIEVE in what these people do, day in and day out, to educate our community’s children. I am grateful for the opportunities to learn and grow. I can’t wait to take these experiences to my next job as CIO of #SocialSchool4EDU but my heart will always beat with a little #ReedsburgPride.”

That’s great, because we become passionate for all of the schools we serve, either directly or indirectly. Heidi is focused on continuing to help schools utilize these powerful platforms to connect to their community.

“The numbers don’t lie,” Feller stated. “As a nation, we are on social media all day long. We use it to share the good, the bad and sometimes the ugly. Using social media to tell your school’s story puts you front and center in the lives of your students and their families. We have the opportunity to be a force for good in the world by celebrating our schools. The connections and relationships built by using social media to inform, entertain and exalt are real and lasting.”

For more information, visit www.socialschool4edu.com.