The National School Public Relations Association has declared the second Friday in May as National School Communicators Day and in 2025, that date falls on May 9. Owensboro Public Schools Director of Public Relations Jared Revlett, our district’s “School Communicator” talks about the top stories from this past year that he has enjoyed promoting in our community.
As I finish my seventh year as the Director of Public Relations for Owensboro Public Schools, I couldn’t have imagined all of the stories and opportunities I have experienced with this school district where I first started my education many years ago at Sutton Elementary.
This past year has been a refreshing one as we entered a new era of leadership and have continued to provide new opportunities for our students and staff. This day is always exciting as I get to look back at some of the positive stories that we’ve shared that highlight the successes we have experienced this year.
To celebrate this year’s National School Communicators Day, I want to share with you my favorite stories from the 2024-25 school year to bring awareness to the amazing work our district is doing.
*These stories are listed in no particular order.*
District Hosts Joint Board Meeting on Amendment 2
It seems that just about every single legislative session, school districts across the Commonwealth have to contend with legislators attempting to move public taxpayer dollars to fund private and charter schools under the guise of "school choice". However, after the Kentucky Supreme Court overturned two previous attempts by the legislature to do so, the 2024 election was different. For the first time, the measure for a constitutional amendment was on the ballot that allowed the general public to decide if they wanted to allow the legislature to decide how public dollars would be spent when it came to education.
Both our school board and the Daviess County Board of Education invited Josh Shoulta from the Kentucky School Board Association to present a nonpartisan, informational session for both boards and the general public. While this was seen by supporters of Amendment 2 (the ballot measure) as the public school districts campaigning for "their side", it was, in fact, strictly an informative meeting to let the general public know what Amendment 2 did and did not do.
This was one of the biggest legislative issues that public school officials have dealt with throughout my time at Owensboro Public Schools, on election night the voice of the people rang out with a resounding "No" vote on the ballot. Every single county in the Commonwealth voted down Amendment 2 in a huge victory for public education in Kentucky. Even when districts and public school officials weren't allowed to publicly share their opinion on the issue, the grassroots folks who took on the burden of sharing how it would impact the lives of countless students should it pass, accomplished something no one expected and public schools survived another attempt to defund public education by the state legislature.
Photo: 14 News WFIE
Blind Student Finds Success Working at Local Pizza Parlor
We talk a lot about the impact that community partnerships have on the growth and development of our students. The importance of community involvement in helping our students achieve all of the things they want in life can not be stressed enough.
So, when I heard that one of our students, Carlitos Ramirez, had made a connection with Larry Owen, an OHS graduate and owner of Peezo's Pizza, to work part-time at the shop, I was thrilled to be able to share this story.
Carlitos has been blind since birth, but had always had a dream of working in the restaurant business. For many like Carlitos, this may have seemed like an impossible dream, but thanks to Larry Owen wanting to help out his alma mater and seeing a chance to give a student with a dream an opportunity, Carlitos began working a couple hours a week folding pizza boxes at Peezo's.
The hope is that Carlitos can continue to learn other aspects of the business and work full-time upon graduation. This is just one example of how our community partnerships, especially with those who are OPS alumni can make a difference in the lives of our students and set them up for success in the future.
Photo: Messenger-Inquirer
Student Pens Poem for Bus Driver
Every once and awhile, we're reminded why we do what we do...it's for the kids. Each and every one of our staff members from teachers to administrators to custodians and maintenance workers leaves an impression on our students. For iMiddle student Sabrina Barber, it was her bus driver, Tonya Boarman who was the bright spot in her school experience and she came up with a unique way to honor her for making her feel welcome each and every day.
Barber penned a poem in honor of Boarman who has been her bus driver for several years. The poem titled "My Bus Driver" touched on Boarman's ability to not only navigate the roads through the community on her bus route, but also for keeping the students safe and for being there for them when they needed her.
Barber presented Boarman with a framed version of the poem that Boarman keeps on her bus as a special token of the impact she has on her students.
My Bus Driver by Sabrina Barber
The engine hums, the doors they slide,
You take the wheel with steady stride.
Through bustling streets and quiet-ish lanes,
you guide us all, through sun and rain.
With patience vast, you navigate, the city’s maze, it’s hurried state.
A watchful eye, a knowing hand, you keep us safe, across the land.
From early morn to twilight’s fall,
you’re there for us, to answer call.
A friendly smile, a helping word,
you ease our journey, never blurred.
So thank you, driver, for your care,
for all you do, beyond compare
You make our days a little bright,
a guiding light, in morning’s light.
Photo: Greg Eans, Messenger-Inquirer
Kingsley Named to Kentucky Teacher Hall of Fame
When I think back about the teachers I had that I respected the most and learned the most from, I think of the teachers who challenged me and required that I produce the work they knew I was capable of. To be honest, while I never got in much "trouble", I always toed the line and knew just how far I could push it. Most of the time, I got reprimanded for socializing and trying to liven up the class from time to time, but it was the teachers who challenged me to be a leader and an example that got the best out of me. Based on everything I heard about Mrs. Linda Kingsley, that was the type of teacher she was.
While I never had the privilege of having her in class being that I graduated from a different high school, it was clear that she would have been one of the teachers I would have come to respect and admire...and apparently so did many of her former students who nominated her for the Kentucky Teacher Hall of Fame.
Spearheaded by General Alan Youngman and several of his classmates, Mrs. Linda Kingsley was named to the Kentucky Teacher Hall of Fame Class of 2025! Mrs. Kingsley still serves as a substitute teacher to this day at both Owensboro High School and Emerson Academy and we had the honor of surprising her at OHS with the announcement that she had been selected.
HONORABLE MENTION: Revlett Named Finalist for National School Communicator
The hard part about School Communicator Day is finding ways to celebrate without making it sound like it's all about you...because it's not. And I wanted to save this one for last because there is no way I could tell the incredible stories that take place in our district without the assistance of the teachers, staff, and students here at Owensboro Public Schools as well as our local media partners who help get those stories out.
However, this one did mean a lot to me and I think it's more of a testament of the resilience of the Owensboro Public Schools district than it is about the work I do each and every day.
In March of 2024, I was selected as the Kentucky School Communicator of the Year by the Kentucky School Public Relations Association. This honor was a surprise from my colleagues who I work closely with across the state at the 2024 Spring Conference. By default, I was nominated for the National School Communicator of the Year for the National School Public Relations Association. Of all the nominees from each of the chapters across the country, NSPRA selected four nominees as finalists for the national award that was to be presented at the National Seminar in Seattle Washington in the summer of 2024.
Myself, along with Danielle Airey, Dirk Tedmon and Kelly Wachel were the four finalists and I couldn't have been surrounded by more intelligent, talented, and dedicated School PR professionals. Ultimately, Dirk was selected as the winner and he couldn't be more deserving because of the work he is doing in Minnesota! I'm so proud of him as well as Danielle and Kelly, but I'm more thankful for the relationship that the four of us have built and we continue to be a support system for each other. We continue to participate in different panels and events together and it's always great to check in with them and pick their brains when I need to.
But for me, this recognition was validation that after four very tough years through a pandemic, leadership changes within our district, and countless other crises that have come up, that the work of School PR professionals is significant and there is eventually light at the end of dark times. I continue to be amazed by the work that I see each and every day from our School Communicators, both here in Kentucky and across the nation. There's no closer group of people who can relate to, and support each other the way we do. There's never hesitation to ask each other for assistance or advice and at the end of the day, we're all working toward the same goal...to share the good news of our districts and the incredible achievements of our students and staff.
These stories aren’t the only ones that have been told this year. They are only some of my favorites. Our media partners both locally and from afar do an outstanding job in assisting me in telling our district’s story and I couldn’t be more grateful for their partnership.
Not every story is a good one and just like every other district across the country, we have to take the good with the bad, but we do our best to highlight the incredible things our students and staff are doing.
I hope that when you turn on the TV, open a newspaper, or read a story online that you feel like you are a part of the Owensboro Public Schools family and that you are proud of the work our students and staff put in each and every day. While it may be School Communicators Day, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without the effort of our students and staff and for that, I am incredibly grateful that I get to share their stories.