Visiting the area? Find where to go and what to do in our Seasonal Guide Visitor's Portal.

STORE

Check out our newly rebuilt online store
to purchase subscriptions, books, movies and maps.

News Feature

Deer Isle
Originally published in Island Ad-Vantages, February 2, 2012
DIS CSD board to ramp up communication outreach efforts

by Jessica Brophy

If you’ve seen school board members at school events, or experienced an uptick in school-related e-mails, it’s all part of the Deer Isle-Stonington Consolidated School District’s community outreach effort.

A CSD subcommittee tasked with “improving community engagement and citizen participation with our schools” has announced a draft school district communications plan.

“We wanted to make the process of engaging with the school board more friendly and open and engaging,” said the chairman of the communication subcommittee, Linda Nelson.

Nelson hopes to build on some of the communication work high school principal Todd West has spearheaded with the Mariner Moment newspaper column in the Island Ad-Vantages and the high school’s Facebook page and Web site.

The plan includes generating two-way communication through social media, online surveys, scheduled publications and increased school board member visibility at school events like sports games.

“There are a lot of big issues and ideas right now,” said Nelson, citing the relocation of the central office and a potential administrative reorganization as two examples. More effective communication would keep people up to date on these issues, so it’s “not a big surprise at the budget meeting.”

Nelson says the board hopes to plan meetings, off school grounds, between school administration and the public.

To stay up-to-date on CSD-related communications, contact Robert Webster at su76.rwebster@gmail.com to join the e-mail list.

Return to the Island Ad-Vantages home page

Return to the Community News home page

---