The Wilton Public School District and the Wilton Library Association have been recognized with an award for the Wilton Reads program they conducted jointly this year. The National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) awarded the Wilton organizations with the 2019 Golden Achievement Award for the Wilton Reads program, in which residents and others in the community to read one book and then engage in a variety of programming inspired by that book choice.
For the first time in the 12 years since the program began, the library partnered with the school district in the community reading program. The book chosen by the organizers for Wilton Reads 2019 was The Tattooist of Auschwitz, the #1 New York Times bestseller by author Heather Morris. The book, historical fiction based on the life of Auschwitz-Birkenau tattooist Ludwig (Lale) Sokolov, is a tale of hope, courage and survival in the face of horrors of the Holocaust. The book provided a central theme for discussions on the Holocaust and the lessons to be learned by the events of WWII.
Wilton was one of only 144 schools from around the country to receive the award, and the only school district in Connecticut to be recognized.
The NSPRA’s Golden Achievement Award recognizes exemplary work in school public relations efforts, communication, marketing and engagement. To earn the award, programs must be based on the RACE/RPIE strategic planning process steps, showing clear evidence of each step: Research—careful analysis of need for program, campaign or activity and stated program or activity goals; Analysis/Planning—thoughtful planning to address need for the program, campaign or activity; Communication/Implementation—that activities, including communication, were carried out as planned; and Evaluation—that an evaluation component was included in plan development and carried out, and that it included ways to measure success and evidence of objective evaluation in communication techniques used.