John Carroll High School received top honors at the 2012 Treasure Coast Florida Public Relations Association Image awards ceremony.
The chapter recognized the area's top public relations professionals and projects at its 19th annual event held in St. Lucie West.
Twenty-six entries were submitted this year, making it the largest competition since the program was started 19 years ago.
Jennifer M. Trefelner, director of institutional advancement at John Carroll High School, was presented with numerous awards for a project in Division A (public relations programs) in the community relations category for "John Carroll High School Community Betterment Initiatives Through Habitat for Humanity."
The awards included an Image award for the top-scoring entry in the category for meeting criteria set by the judges and a judges' award for achieving maximum results while using a minimum amount of money.
For the first time in school history, a Grand All Image was received, which designates the best Image award in all of Division A. The project highlighted the school's continuous work with Habitat for Humanity. The entry highlighted how JCHS is helping families obtain affordable homes, is improving the landscape of the community and is teaching students the importance of manual labor, being a good neighbor and is imparting the value of volunteerism to its students.
Recognition was also given to the students, staff, volunteers, Principal Ben Hopper and Dominick Scotto, school coordinator, for their hard work.
John Carroll High School was also recognized for its work on a creative and innovative enrollment campaign including hosting a successful open house.
An award of distinction was presented for meeting a standard of excellence set by the panel of judges. A judges award was also given for the project for demonstrating proven results on a budget.
The annual FPRA Image awards competition has become a standard of public relations excellence, in which winners show the very best examples of innovation, planning and design.
Entries are scored on numerous criteria including research/situation analysis, clear objectives, successful implementation, thorough evaluation and budget.
To learn more about John Carroll High School's press releases, please visit www.JohnCarrollHigh.com.
Jennifer Trefelner is accredited in public relations.