How to get your school media coverage – for the right reasons


Does your school have something (or someone) special?

Having your school appear in headlines is something to be proud of – that is of course if it’s for the right reasons.

With so many negative stories circulating about the education sector and its woes, it’s worth exploring some ways in which your school can join the ranks of those who are inspiring students and teachers alike via the media.

Rallying your town or surrounding suburbs around a school event or achievement can have tremendously positive trickle-down effects for your community, ranging from encouraging enrolment by newly enthused students through to generating widespread interest in what your school is doing.

Utilizing partnerships and community is one way. Aligning your school with projects and events in your community that help your students learn could place your school in the local paper as a good news piece.

Earlier this month, Rouse Hill High School held their multi-platform entertainment fair, Dynamic, Accountable, Resilient and Engaged (DARE) week, which encourages students to openly express their talents in the community.

The fair, aimed at simultaneously showcasing student talent while inspiring them to learn, held various student vs teacher activities, ranging from debating to sport and music. Ironbark Ridge and Beaumont Hills public schools also participated in DARE week, highlighting their students’ talents.

Having only opened in 2009, Rouse Hill High is off to a good start, enjoying new technologies and facilities which help its students harness their creative talents and career aspirations. The effect this has had in promoting the school’s talent within the community shows the value fairs like this have for schools elsewhere.

Investing in sufficient resources and facilities can be a good way to show that you care about what your school has to offer to its students, and this can have a trickle-down effect in the community. These same resources and facilities at Rouse Hill High are what made its attention-grabbing participation in DARE week possible.

“DARE Week has held a shining light to our school motto, ‘Dare to excel’-” Rouse Hill High’s careers adviser/vet coordinator Kathy Henson told the Rouse Hill Times.

“It challenged students and staff to reach out and explore new horizons within the arms of its local community.”