Most Significant 2018 Client PR Campaign: Stepinac HS's Groundbreaking Symposium on Flint Crisis

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. - Dec. 19, 2018 - PRLog -- The most significant client public relations campaign I had the honor of developing and executing in 2018 was to support Stepinac High School Honors Academy's first Symposium, Fixing Flint: A Clean Water Solution, held May 30 at the school's Major Bowes Auditorium, White Plains, NY.

It was the second time in recent years that my client, a local all boys Catholic high school, had made national headlines for its pioneering curriculum innovation programs. The first was five years ago when Stepinac launched the first-of-its-kind all-digital textbook library.

The high-profile Symposium, which featured a panel discussion moderated by Emmy-winning journalist Mary Calvi of WCBS-TV, focused on the unresolved public health crisis in Flint, Michigan that had gone missing in the national conversation. The comprehensive, strategic public relations campaign called for a PR Newswire announcement on May 6 (link below):


As expected, within five days, the release went viral in a big way, attracting pickups by 226 leading national media outlets reaching a potential audience of more than 81 million!

In addition, the announcement was posted on PR Log and on the radar screens of all Westchester and New York metro area media outlets with targeted pitches to education and public policy journalists. Among them was Catholic New York's reporter Patrice E. Liquori, whose June 22 insightful feature article (link below), "Stepinac's Honors Academy Assesses Flint Water Crisis, Look for Potential Lead Problems in Westchester," underscored the significance of what this bright group of students had undertaken in connecting the dots between what happened in Flint and what can potentially unfold in their backyard, Westchester County (link below):

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/stepinac-high-schools-honors-academy-to-present-symposium-on-the-forgotten-flint-michigan-contaminated-water-crisis-300643087.html

http://www.cny.org/stories/stepinacs-honors-academy-assesses-flint-water-crisis-looks-for-potential-lead-dangers-in,17535

It's hard to imagine that these academically outstanding students--and not a government agency or public policy group-- tackled an issue as daunting as Flint. Nor can one grasp the formidable task of what the latest group of Honors Academy students is now undertaking for their next Symposium challenge in May which will be focused on CLIMATE CHANGE!

Given the much debated and globally relevant topic and the plan to again have the students present the findings of their rigorous studies and research to a panel of distinguished experts, I have little doubt that Stepinac Honors Academy's Symposium on Climate Change will be the third time that Stepinac will make national headlines.

Considering that PR for Westchester clients is predominantly local in nature, it's a very rare occurrence for a locally-based PR practitioner like myself to generate national media coverage, let alone several times for the same client over a relatively short span. That speaks worlds about the news worthiness of Stepinac High School's curriculum innovations for which I am so honored to have been supporting for six years.

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Frank Pagani is an award-winning communications consultant and business writer with more than 30 years of experience. His firm, Pagani PR/Getting Your Story Right®, specializes in helping small business owners, entrepreneurs and start-ups succeed by creating and implementing cost-effective, high-impact strategic public relations and marketing communications programs. For more information, Call  (, whi914-843-5079.