Williston Northampton’s alumni magazine can add another gold trophy to the shelf.
On Wednesday, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) announced that The Bulletin had won one of its top national awards, in addition to a district award that the magazine won earlier this year.
In announcing the gold medal, CASE judges noted that the bi-annual magazine was “a strong publication with compelling content.”
CASE received more than 3,200 entries for this year’s Circle of Excellence Awards. Judges awarded 93 bronze, 106 silver, 91 gold and 17 grand gold medals in nearly 100 categories.
According to the association’s website, Circle of Excellence Award winners are selected based on such factors as impact, overall quality, innovation, and use of resources. The awards are open to colleges, universities, independent schools and nonprofits.
Judges in the Independent School Magazine category commended The Bulletin for its layout, content, and photography.
“What is unique is that it comes across as really authentic photography that captures the moment,” they wrote. “There was space allocated to featuring new faculty with authentic and relevant photos of them that related to the area in which they are subject-matter experts. This introduces new faces to alumni and friends.”
They also praised the well-organized class notes section, use of infographics, and pages that informed readers about website updates.
This is the second award for The Bulletin, which received a gold medal at the association’s district awards in January. The gold was presented at the 2015 CASE District I Conference in Boston on January 30.
Judges for the district noted that they liked the magazine covers and modern color choices, appreciated the great framing of photos, dynamic spreads, and strong writing, and felt that articles such as “We the People” felt “fresh and optimistic.”
“Excellent! We all wanted copies!” they wrote.
At the district level, the school also received silver medals for the website, Admission interest cards, and the Middle School viewbook.
“We’re excited about all the awards, and we’re pleased Williston is getting this recognition for its materials,” Director of Communications Traci Wolfe said, adding that she was particularly proud of her staff: Design Director Aruna Goldstein, Director of Online Communications Rachael Hanley, and Project Manager Dennis Crommett.
“It’s good to see their dedication to excellence recognized in this way,” she said.
Head of School Robert W. Hill III called the awards “impressive,” particularly since they came from a leading organization such as CASE.
“I understand that ‘gold’ is not automatically given out each year which makes The Bulletin’s achievement that much more impressive,” he wrote in an email to the Communications staff. “This is a great feather in the cap for Williston and a testimony to the creative efforts and roll-up-the-sleeves work that you folks do.”