“Just keep writing.”

That was the advice from one of my first editors many years ago when I was a young reporter struggling to develop a feature story. After several failed attempts, I finally hit upon a structure that, although fairly mediocre, got the job done. The lesson: If you just keep writing, the story will come.

Many years have passed since that muggy afternoon when I sat in a cramped office staring at my blank screen, hoping for some sort of divine intervention. As a career in journalism transformed into one in public relations, I had the opportunity to write hundreds of stories about people doing everything they could to make a positive difference in the world. Schools in Pennsylvania are filled with incredible educators who are passionate about making tomorrow a better place than it is right now. Their impact on students can’t be underestimated, yet so often many are unaware of the victories we see every day.

Just keep writing.

I recently had the opportunity to attend the 2025 PenSPRA Symposium, which featured an agenda packed with sessions designed to help school communication officers build trust and credibility with their communities. We heard repeatedly that one way to achieve this goal is to tell compelling stories. Despite changing technology, or maybe because of it, storytelling continues to resonate with almost everyone. Storytelling is more important than ever because it helps distill complex information, articulate challenges and demonstrate the significance of success at all levels of achievement.

Just keep writing.

It’s hard to believe that the COVID-19 pandemic began five years ago. Systems and schedules that had taken years to create were suddenly shoved aside and replaced with the unknown. School leaders quickly realized that they needed to communicate more than they ever had before, and that public relations officers were key members of the administrative team. The pandemic may be over, but I would argue that the need to reach out and share your school’s or district’s story is more important than ever before. I encourage you to find those compelling stories that have not been told and tell them - repeatedly - to anyone who will listen.  The wind of change never stops, it simply changes direction. But a good story will be remembered and can have a positive impact well into the future.

Over the next few months, as the school year accelerates at breakneck speed towards its natural conclusion, take some time to find those unique stories, not just the obvious ones, but those hidden gems as well. Then tell those success stories to anyone who will listen – your district is counting on it. And if you think that can’t find any, remember… just keep writing.