High School Initiative Project

CAITLYN SHIANNE BOLON

High School Initiative

December 2, 2012

Basic Project Information

Additional Cover Page

Leadership Project Proposal – Approved

Value and Purpose of Project Explanation

Goals and Objectives - Beginning of Fall 2012

Semester

Status Report – October 2012

Leadership Project Proposal

For my leadership project I would like to work within the PRSSA chapter at

Waynesburg University, alongside of Samantha Scribner, the chapter’s President, to

establish a High School Initiative for the University’s chapter.

Launching a High School Initiative would help our chapter reach out to local high

schools and prospective students to explain the purpose of Public Relations and what

the profession entails, in hopes of establishing a connection between prospective

students and Waynesburg University so that they may attend the University with an

interest in joining our chapter.

I would like to meet with Samantha to constitute goals and objectives for the

Initiative and guidelines that will guide the University’s chapter in the future as well as

now. Once guidelines are set and we have put together a presentation on Public

Relations to present to prospective students I would like to plan a trip to a local high

school to give the presentation and meet with any students that are interested in the

profession or purpose of our student chapter.

I strongly believe that reaching out to prospective local high school students as

well as exploring students that are currently at the college is the best way to increase

the number of members in our chapter as well as interest in our chapter and supporting

us.

Waynesburg University’s PRSSA Chapter

High School Initiative Public Relations Presentation

The High School Initiative project was created during the Fall 2012 semester. It

was a project that had been discussed for many semesters, but was never constructed

until now. Many young people are not informed of the importance of the Public

Relations profession, if they even know what it is or have ever heard of it.

Public Relations is a fast-paced field that was created to manage the

relationships and reputations of organizations and individuals that are seen within the

media. Practitioners in the Public Relations world work in many different fields ranging

from non-profit organizations to managing the reputations of celebrities such as the

Kardashian’s and MTV’s Jersey Shore’s, Snooki. The purpose of this project is to create

an appropriate oral presentation to be presented to local high school students to

explain the importance of this profession.

At Waynesburg University we are taught the importance and necessity of

professionalism in both our major and our personal lives and relationships. Through our

Public Relations classes, we are taught the importance of professional dress when

representing ourselves as well as the organizations we are a part of. These classes also

teach us the importance of the major we have chosen, the importance of the

organization we are members of (PRSSA) and the importance of keeping our social

media sites clean of degrading material that could harm our reputations. This is all

information that we would like to relay to high school students to help them with their

search for the right college for them, as well as the right profession.

It is with strong belief that when some of the high school students see our

presentation and how we present ourselves as professional college students during our

time spent at the high schools, they may decide to visit Waynesburg University’s

Department of Communication to explore our options. As members of the Department

of Communication we strongly believe in each of our programs and have faith that

prospective students would enjoy what we have to offer. If we are able to make these

connections with high school students and show them that Waynesburg University and

the Department of Communication is a great place for them to pursue their higher

education, we will be increase our department and course enrollment numbers, as well

as benefiting others with a positive, liberal arts college education.

Beginning Goals and Objectives

The main, broad goal, for the High School Initiative is for Waynesburg

University’s PRSSA chapter members to travel to local high schools to teach

prospective students about the Public Relations field in hopes that they will

become interested. When these students become interested in the field we

believe that the impact we had on them may guide them towards furthering

their education at Waynesburg University as a Public Relations major.

o Continuing growth of the Public Relations major at Waynesburg

University may result in the growth of the University’s PRSSA chapter.

When it comes to the programming of the High School Initiative, I would first like

to establish criteria for what is acceptable and should be presented to

prospective students within a limited time frame. There are many aspects of

Public Relations and departments in the field that you can become experienced

in, such as Reputation Management and Promotions, which may make it difficult

to create a presentation that must be based upon a shorter time frame than the

average college class.

o A typical high school class length is 30-40 minutes long and the

presenters would need to leave an allotted amount of time for a question

and answer session.

Specific guidelines need to be established so that the presenters know how to

dress, how to perform, how to answer questions properly and how to represent

Waynesburg University. As students of Waynesburg University we must be

appropriate in the way we handle ourselves and carry our schools mission

statement with us at all times, especially in front of prospective students.

Once the programming for the High School Initiative is completed I will need to

make a presentation of the plan to the PRSSA chapter and the chapter President,

Samantha Scribner to be approved to travel to local high schools to give the

presentation. Once approved I would also need to train future presenters how to

give the presentation and act accordingly while away at these high schools.

In order to contact local high schools to travel to so our chapter can give the

presentations I must create a list of high schools with the appropriate contact

information and who to reach in order to schedule a presentation. I need to

create this list so that future PRSSA chapter members are not calling up local

high schools without knowing who to contact, to avoid wasting time and

bothering people that should not be bothered in this process. Wasting

someone’s time that shouldn’t be involved in this process could end up in a lost

contact and a high school that may not allow us to present, which is less

prospective students for the PR major at Waynesburg University.

High School Initiative Status Report – October 31,

2012

Goals and Objectives for High School Initiative for Waynesburg University’s

PRSSA Chapter

o Guidelines of what is appropriate when it comes to presenting the

information

o It is our goal that in the future years, the Chapter’s executive staff

members would make it a point to turn the presentation into a

fundraiser.

Charge each school a price to give a presentation

Example: A presentation about the importance of keeping

a clean social media record and maintaining an

appropriate reputation online.

Created a list of contacts from local high schools; who to contact to discuss and

schedule presentations

o List can also be used for Student Media Day and other Department of

Communication events in which high schools are invited.

Met with Samantha Scribner (WUPRSSA’s Chapter President) on Tuesday,

October 30, at 8 p.m. to discuss goals and objectives and a timeline of what

needs done for this project

o NEED TO:

Put together teams (after all chapter students schedule) so that

teams are establish, based on schedules, for presentations next

semester

Finalize the letter that will be sent to high schools to explain the

presentation and its importance

Put together the PowerPoint presentation that would be given

Create an evaluation sheet for teachers at high schools to

complete based on our chapters performance of the

presentations in order to better ourselves

Create a Thank You card that could be sent to the students and

teachers of the high schools we visit as a follow-up from the

presentations

Create a “Follow Us” sheet to hand out to each student we

present to that explains our chapter and how to follow us and

“like” us on Facebook and Twitter.

Presentation will include: (as discussed with Samantha)

o Definition of Public Relations

o 9 Activities and functions of Public Relations

o Social media and its importance

o Departments in Public Relations and the purpose/differences of each

Reputation Management, Crisis Management, Non-Profit PR,

Corporation and Agency PR Firm, etc.

High School Information

Local High School Contact List

Letter from the President

Double Spaced Letter from the President

Local High School Contact List

Washington County

Washington High School

201 Allison Avenue

Washington, Pa. 15301

724-223-5085

Chartiers-Houston Jr. /Sr. High School

2050 West Pike Street

Houston Pa, 15342

724-745-3350

Fort Cherry School District

110 Fort Cherry Road

McDonald, Pa.15057

724-796-1551

McGuffey High School

90 McGuffey Drive

Claysville, Pa. 15323

724-948-3731

Ringgold High School

1 Ram Drive

Monongahela, Pa. 15063

724- 258-2200

Bentworth High School

75 Bearcat Drive

Bentleyville, Pa. 15314

724- 239-5911

Charleroi Area High School

100 Fecsen Drive

Charleroi, Pa. 15022

724- 483-3573

Beth Center Senior High School

194 Crawford Road

Fredericktown, Pa. 15333

(724) 267-4944

Avella Area Jr./Sr. High School

1000 Avella Rd

Avella, Pa. 15312

724-356-2216

Peters Township High School

264 E McMurray Rd

McMurray, Pa. 15317

724-941-6250

Trinity Senior High School

231 Park Ave

Washington, Pa. 15301

724-225-5830

Brownsville Area School District

1 Falcon Drive

Brownsville, Pa. 15417

724-785-8200

Greene County

Waynesburg Area High School

30 Zimmerman Drive

Waynesburg, Pa. 15370

724- 852-1050

West Green High School

1352 Hargus Creek Road

Waynesburg, Pa. 15370

724- 499-5051

Mapletown Jr./Sr. High School

1000 Mapletown Road

Greensboro, Pa. 15338

724-943-3401

Carmichaels Area School District

225 South Vine Street

Carmichaels, Pa. 15320

724-966-5045

Jefferson Morgan High School

1351 Jefferson Road

Jefferson, Pa. 15344

724-883-2310

Fayette County

Connellsville Area High School

201 Falcon Drive

Connellsville, Pa. 15425

724-628-0280

Uniontown Area High School

146 East Fayette Street

Uniontown, Pa. 15401

724-439-5000

Laurel Highlands High School

300 Bailey Avenue

Uniontown, Pa. 15401

724-437-4741

Experience. Opportunity. Achievement.

To whom it may concern, On behalf of the Public Relations Student Society of America, I am proud to inform you that this organization is growing and evolving at Waynesburg University. PRSSA is the foremost organization for students who are interested in public relations and communications as their future profession. It gives students the tools they need to help them prepare for a future as a professional. As a group, we collaborated with each other to find out that many high school students are not very informed about public relations as a major and career choice. Most of us did not know what the field was until we arrived at college. To change this, we have decided that we want to visit high schools and promote the important and growing field of public relations as a career choice. Our Waynesburg University PRSSA chapter is implementing a High School Initiative, which requires PRSSA chapter members to travel to local high schools to teach prospective students about the public relations field in hopes that they will become interested. When these students become interested in the field we believe that the impact we had on them may guide them towards furthering their education at Waynesburg University as public relations majors. During this time with the students, we will give them a presentation on what the field is about and its importance, as well as the importance of maintaining a beneficial reputation through social media, while allowing time for questions and answers. We feel that getting the students to respond back to us is invaluable. The Waynesburg University PRSSA chapter has been affiliated with the Pittsburgh Public Relations Society of America for two years. PRSSA is a student run organization with Richard Krause, Chair of the Department of Communication, as the advisor. Our fairly young chapter is gaining new members every academic year and growing quickly. We also have implemented The Firm, which is a student run organization, just like our PRSSA chapter, which allows us to take on small businesses in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania as clients. We work together to organize advertising for them to help promote their brands. We would love to share the experiences and opportunity that lie within the field of Public Relations with you and your students.

We hope you find this High School Initiative as valuable as we do and we look forward to hearing back from you at your earliest convenience. Thank you, Molly Winters PRSSA President (Spring 2013)

Student Information

Spring 2013 Student Schedules

Presentation Teams

Presentation Criteria

Appropriate Presentation Attire Examples for

Men

Appropriate Presentation Attire Examples for

Women

Public Relation Major Student Schedules For Spring 2013

Last name’s in alphabetical order as follows: Kara Beamer: M/W 2:00-3:15 PM: Advanced PR Strategies Wednesday 6:30-9:00 p.m. Public Relations Writing and Production Tues/Thurs 9:30-10:45 a.m. Marketing 1:00-2:15 p.m. Intro to Politics Thursday 6:30-9:00 p.m. Communication Law Paula Bittner: M/W/F 9:00-9:50 a.m. Beginning Algebra 10:00-10:50 a.m. College Composition II 11:00-11:50 a.m. Intro to Public Relations 1:00-1:50 p.m. Intro to New Testament Tues/Thurs 9:30-10:45 a.m. Marketing Caitlyn Bolon: Monday 12:00-12:50 Internship M/W 2:00-3:15 p.m. Advanced Public Relations Strategies Tuesday 6:30-9:00 p.m. Basic Meteorology (Lecture) Thursday 11:00-11:50 a.m. Service Learning 6:30-8:30 p.m. Basic Meteorology (Lab)

Taylor Bombalski: M/W/F 8:00-9:00 a.m. Intro to New Testament M/W 2:00-3:15 p.m. Advanced Public Relations Strategies Wednesday 6:30-9:00 p.m. Public Relations Writing and Production T/TH 8:00-9:00 a.m. Environmental Bio (Lecture) 9:30-10:45 a.m. Digital Illustration Thursday 12:00-2:00PM Environmental Bio (Lab) Kelsey Bradley: Monday 12:00-12:50 p.m. Internship M/W/F 11:00-11:50 a.m. Intro to Marine Biology Tuesday 12:00-12:50 p.m. Service Learning 6:30-9:00 p.m. Meteorology (Lecture) Tues/Thurs 9:30-10:45 a.m. Science and Faith 1:00-2:15 p.m. Ceramics Thursday 6:30-8:30 p.m. Meteorology (Lab) Haley Daughton: M/W/F 8:00-8:50 a.m. Principles of Management 10:00-10:50 a.m. Print Journalism 11:00-11:50 a.m. Intro to Public Relations 1:00-1:50 p.m. Intro to the New Testament Tues/Thurs 9:00-9:50 a.m. Digital Illustration

Hope Frick: Monday 12:00-12:50 p.m. Internship M/W 2:00-3:15 p.m. Advanced PR Strategies M/W/F 10:00-10:50 a.m. Grants Writing 11:00-11:50 a.m. History of Art Tuesday 12:00-12:50 p.m. Service Learning Tues/Thurs 9:30-10:45 a.m. Environmental Bio (Lecture) Thursday 2:30-5:00 p.m. Environmental Bio (Lab) Matt Giardina: M/W 2:00-3:15 p.m. Advanced Public Relations Strategies M/W/F 9:00-9:50 a.m. Intro to Old Testament 10:00-10:50 a.m. Grants Writing and Research Tues/Thurs 8:00-9:15 a.m. Environmental Bio (Lecture) Thursday 6:30-9:00 p.m. Sales Management Friday 1:00-3:30 p.m. Environmental Bio (Lab) Mitch Graham: M/W Advanced PR Strategies 2-3:15 Tuesday 2:30-5:00 p.m. Environmental Bio (Lab) Tues/Thurs 8:00-9:15 a.m. Environmental Bio (Lecture) 9:30-10:45 a.m. Marketing 11:00-11:50 a.m. Professional Development 1:00-2:15 p.m. Digital Photography Thursday 12:00-12:50 p.m. Music

Haley Greene: M/W/F 9:00-9:50 a.m. Beginning Algebra 11:00-11:50 a.m. Philosophy 2:00-3:15 p.m. Advanced Public Relations Strategies Wednesday 6:30-9:00 p.m. Public Relations Writing and Production Tues/Thurs 2:30-3:45 p.m. American Literature Thursday 6:30-9:00 p.m. Communication Law Kyle Oland: M/W 2:00-3:15 p.m. Advanced Public Relations Strategies M/W/F 9:00-9:50 a.m. Intro to Old Testament 10:00-10:50 a.m. Grants Writing and Research 11:00-11:50 a.m. Intro to Theater Thursday 6:30-9:00 p.m. Communication Law Abby Pittinaro: M/W 2:00-3:15 p.m. – Advanced Public Relations Strategies M/W/F 9:00-9:50 a.m. – Web Design Tuesday 12:00-2:00 p.m. – Human Bio (Lab) Tues/Thurs 8:00-9:15 a.m. – Human Bio (Lecture) Wednesday 6:30-9:00 p.m. – Public Relations Writing and Production Thursday 6:30-9:00 p.m. Communication Law

Abby Wernert: Monday 6:30-9:00 p.m. Business and Professional Writing M/W 2:00-3:15 p.m. Advanced PR Strategies M/W/F 9:00-9:50 a.m. Intro to Old Testament Tues/Thurs 2:30-3:45 p.m. Intro to Philosophy Thursday 11:00-11:50 p.m. Service Learning Molly Winters: M/W 2:00-3:15p.m. Advanced PR Strategies M/W/F 11:00-11:50 a.m. Intro to Theatre Tuesday 12:00-1:30 p.m. Human Bio (Lab) Wednesday 6:30-9:00 p.m. Public Relations Writing and Production Tues/Thurs 8:00-9:15 a.m. Human Bio (Lecture) Thursday 6:30-9:00 p.m. Communication Law

Presentation Teams

According to Waynesburg University PRSSA chapter members Spring 2013 semester

schedules I was able to create three groups of five presenters. Each team would work

together to build a presentation speaking order and travel together to present the High

School Initiative Public Relations Presentation to local high schools.

Each member with the exception of one, Matthew Giardina, is available to leave campus

on Friday’s at noon and return to campus after the presentation concludes, around

approximately 3:00 p.m. Matt has agreed to travel with one group, depending on which

date his Lab professor will allow him to miss.

Caitlyn Bolon will be traveling with each group during the Spring 2013 semester. She will

be traveling with each group in order to help with the presentation and monitor the

presenters in order to decide any changes that need made to the presentation process

to make sure the presentation and the presenters become the best they can be.

Group One:

Caitlyn Bolon – Senior

Hope Frick – Junior

Kyle Oland – Junior

Molly Winters – Sophomore (PRSSA chapter President)

Haley Daughton – Freshman

Group Two:

Caitlyn Bolon – Senior

Mitch Graham – Senior

Abby Pittinaro – Sophomore

Kara Beamer - Sophomore

Paula Bittner – Freshman

Group Three:

Caitlyn Bolon – Senior

Kelsey Bradley – Senior

Haley Greene – Sophomore

Abby Wernert – Sophomore

Taylor Bombalski – Freshman

Presentation Criteria

When traveling to local high schools to present Waynesburg University’s PRSSA

chapter’s High School Initiative Public Relations Presentation, all presenters must

follow the following criteria and guidelines:

Presentation Guidelines and Ethics

When entering into the Public Relations Student Society of America, each student signs

a release saying that they will always follow PRSA and PRSSA ethics in both their

professional and personal lives. Below is a list of guidelines taken from PRSA’s website

regarding presentation ethics (slightly altered to fit the project) that each student must

abide by:

Protect and advance the free flow of accurate and truthful information.

Foster informed decision making through open communication.

o Do not avoid answering student or teacher questions simply because the

answer you will be giving does not benefit Waynesburg University or its

PRSSA chapter.

Example: Do not speak negatively of other professions or

university chapters in order to make Waynesburg University’s

PRSSA chapter seem more advanced.

Promote healthy and fair competition among professionals.

o Do not degrade other professional fields, majors or college/universities

and their curriculum in order to boast Waynesburg University

Avoid conflicts of interest.

Work to strengthen the public’s trust in the profession.

o Without degrading other colleges and universities, work to strengthen

the public’s interest and trust in Waynesburg University’s PR program.

Be honest and accurate in all communications.

Act in the best interest of clients or employers.

o In this case, act in the best interest of the students who will be listening

to the presentation as well as Waynesburg University and its PRSSA

chapter.

Avoid conflicts between personal and professional interests.

Decline representation of clients requiring actions contrary to the Code.

o Do not promote behavior that goes against the code of ethics and always

act properly; each presenter that travels to local high schools is

representing Waynesburg University as well as PRSSA and Waynesburg

University’s PRSSA chapter.

o No student should act in a way that will degrade any of the organizations

being represented, nor should they promote this negative behavior.

Accurately define what public relations activities can accomplish.

Report all ethical violations to the appropriate authority.

o First report to the University’s PRSSA chapter president and the chapter

Advisor.

Presentation Attire

All presenters are expected to dress

professionally when traveling to local high schools to present the High School Initiative

Public Relations Presentation. Business professional and business casual are two

different forms of attire. Business casual should not be acceptable attire when traveling;

each presenter should dress in interview/business professional attire. When traveling,

each presenter is representing Waynesburg University, PRSSA and the University’s

PRSSA chapter. Each presenter should do their best to show the public the level of

professional standards and expectations that Waynesburg University holds its students

to.

Business professional attire that is acceptable for women:

Wear colors based on a neutral color palette (black, navy, cream, charcoal or

grey).

Avoid gaudy accessories. Think simple.

All suits and skirts should be tailored to fit close to the body (but not tight). Skirts

should hit at the knee or below. And blouses should be conservative, freshly

pressed and always tucked in.

Wear scuff-free heels or flats in a neutral color.

Hair and makeup should be groomed, neat, and simple.

Business professional attire that is acceptable for men:

Tailored suits that fit close to the body (but not tight).

A full suit; matching pants and jacket with a collared shirt.

Suits should be pressed so that wrinkles are avoided.

Ties should be added to the suit to dress up the collared shirt for times when the

jacket is not being worn.

Ties should not be too flashy or eye-catching in order to avoid attention being

taken away from the material being presented (like women’s jewelry).

Attached to this section is a guide from the University of Oklahoma that will help

presenters clarify the difference in business casual and business professional for both

men and women. Business casual is to be avoided when traveling and representing

Waynesburg University.

Presentation

Public Relations Presentation

o Presentation Includes: - Public

Relations Profession Importance,

Positive Social Media Reputation

Management Importance, Waynesburg

University PRSSA Chapter Information,

“Follow Us” Information, Questions

Opportunity

“Follow Us” Hand-Outs

Teacher Presentation Evaluation Form

Presentation Evaluation

Teacher and School Name:

________________________________________________________________________

On a scale of 1-10, 1 being did not enjoy and 10 being thoroughly enjoyed, how did you and your students enjoy today’s presentation?

You:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Your students:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Do you believe the information presented was applicable, interactive and beneficial to your students?

Are there any questions or concerns you’ve raised during our presentation?

What could we do to improve our presentation? Based upon today’s presentation, would you invite us back?

Additional comments regarding presenters and/or their behavior:

Teacher Signature _______________________________________ Date _____________

Evaluation

Final Project and Self Evaluation of Work

Completed During Practicum, Fall 2012

Semester

Application of Learned Material

o Hunt and Pausch

Evaluation and Reflection

I. As a team we plan to educate high school students about Public Relations.

Before coming to college, many of us had little to no idea what Public

Relations is about. We plan to educate local high school students about the

importance of Public Relations and what PR professionals do.

II. When meeting with the current President of Waynesburg University’s PRSSA

chapter, I was asked to incorporate social media to the presentation and the

importance of managing our social media accounts in a way that will not ruin

our reputations or the reputations of our clients.

a. We see it as necessary and ethical to teach high school students about

the importance of the online reputation and how it could make or break

their chances of being a professional in any field that they choose.

III. Due to time management and the amount of time needed to create the High

School Initiative plan from scratch, I was unable to plan a trip to a local high

school during the Fall 2012 semester. I plan to make contact with high

school’s at the beginning of the Spring 2013 semester and make

appointments to present our project with fellow PRSSA chapter members. I

would like presentations to start in the beginning of March 2013. I believe

this time allows me to properly train other PRSSA chapter members on how

to present the project as well as how to dress and act accordingly while

visiting each high school.

a. I believe that by starting presentations in March our chapter members

will have excelled in their presentation performance levels enough to

properly present the project even when I am not present.

b. Also, by waiting until March to start presentations, we allow high school

students to have an adequate amount of time to consider Public

Relations as a major for those that will be applying to colleges in the Fall

of 2013. We will also have an adequate amount of time to answer any

questions they may have about Public Relations and/or Waynesburg

University before it is time to apply for colleges.

c. This timeframe also gives these high school students enough time to visit

Waynesburg University’s campus if we are able to interest them in our

University.

IV. Establishing criteria for the presentation and the presenters was the most

necessary objective for the High School Initiative project. This project has

been discussed for several years but there has never been a person that was

obligated to putting it together and laying down the ground rules, until now.

a. I have created the criteria regarding what information should be

presented and how it should be presented. I adopted/based the ethics

that presenters need to follow and abide by from PRSA’s Code of Ethics

for Professional Presentations.

b. I included criteria and ground rules for what is acceptable attire to wear

when traveling to local high schools. Each presenter must dress to

impress, as if they’re going to an interview. This is necessary because

they will be representing PRSSA, Waynesburg University and the

University’s PRSSA chapter.

V. The actual High School Initiative Public Relations Presentation needed to be

created.

a. I created a presentation that should be approximately 20 minutes long.

This is an appropriate time to educate high school students. They tend to

have a shorter attention span than a college student and high school

classes last an average of 35-40 minutes; a 20 minutes timeframe will

allow for a question and answer section at the end of the presentation.

b. The presentation will address what Public Relations is by definition from

Stacks, the importance of the Public Relations profession, the different

sanctions of work within PR (non-profit, agency, etc.) and the different PR

opportunities at Waynesburg University for a Public Relations major.

VI. An objective that was not met was the objective of giving the presentation to

the University’s current PRSSA chapter as a means of showing them what I

have been working on to see what they think I need to improve before the

Spring 2013 semester. This presentation will be given upon return to campus

in the Spring 2013 semester, before finalizing the presentation and sending

presenters to local high schools.

a. Although I was unable to go over the presentation with the entire PRSSA

chapter, I was unable to meet with Samantha Scribner, current

Waynesburg University PRSSA chapter President, during the Fall 2012

semester, to discuss what was to be presented and what

information/ethics/criteria was appropriate and should be included in the

project

VII. All tangible lists that were mentioned in the Goals and Objectives section

completed earlier in the Fall 2012 semester have been completed upon the

current due date.

a. A list of all the local high schools and their contact information was

created, not only for this project but so that our PRSSA chapter and

Department of Communications can store it for future reference when

needing the contact information for High School Media Day and other

events.

b. A list of each PRSSA chapter member and their Spring 2013 schedule was

made. This was made so that there is no confusion when planning groups

of presenters to travel to the local high schools. This helps the executive

board, advisor and High School Initiative producer know where each

student will be when presentations are planned for and which teachers

they will need to get in contact with if they need to be excused from class

to present.

c. With help from Zack Rogers and his interactive design skills, a “Follow Us”

sheet was successfully created. This sheet is meant to be handed to each

high school student at the end of each presentation so that they know

how to contact the University’s PRSSA chapter if they have any questions

or simply want to learn more about the chapter.

Application of Lessons Learned Over the course of the semester we have read detailed lessons from both Arthur

W. Hunt III and the late Randy Pausch. Pausch taught us lessons about learning to enjoy

life and live fully while you can and to follow your dreams while you are able to. His

story was written to teach his children, as well as others, how to enjoy your life and take

full advantage of every opportunity. His story is about a man who was trying to teach

others how to live their life, while he was losing his; a story on living from a man who

was dying.

When creating Waynesburg University’s PRSSA chapter’s first ever High School

Initiative, I realized more than I had before that Public Relations is a demanding field

that requires most of a person’s time. Often, PR professionals are on-call 24/7, 365 days

a year. We are constantly on social media sites, completing writing projects, paying

attention to the media, etc. Pausch helped me to understand that no matter how

involved I am in my major and profession in the future, like how involved I was with this

project; I cannot ignore or forget about my loved ones. I must always make time for

other important things in my life such as my family, friends and hobbies.

If I ever presented the presentation I have put together to Hunt, he would

probably tell me to throw it away because it is garbage that I should not be forcing upon

our youth. Hunt believes that media consumes too much of our lives, which goes against

every major within the Department of Communications at Waynesburg University. He

would boast the fact that I have decided to attend a liberal arts institution, but he would

degrade my choice of major and future profession. Hunt agrees with Pausch that we

must focus our time on our loved ones and not forget our roots. Hunt believes that as a

society we need to get back to our roots as well; focusing on teaching the basics of

rhetoric, grammar and logic. In changing times, I disagree with Hunt; I believe, as a

Public Relations major, that media is not going away and we must learn to adapt with it.

As a society, both from a consumer and producer point-of-view, we must learn more

about media literacy and media ecology. Pausch and Hunt have both taught me more

about balancing my professional life with my personal life. I try to not stress myself as

much as I used to when it comes to grades and projects. I make sure that I get my work

done efficiently, I manage my time properly and I attend to each thing that I must

attend to. Like media ecology, we must learn balance in our media centered professions

and our personal lives. I will take these lessons with me into my final semester of

college, my professional life and my future family and personal life. I will make sure that

my family and I understand that in order to control the power that media has over, we

must first understand how it works.

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