After a week of deliberations, the Public Relations Committee has selected the winning theme from OSEA’s Classified School Employees Week (CEW) theme contest: Leadership, Effectiveness, Advocacy, Diplomacy/Liderazgo, Eficacia, Apoyo, Diplomacia. In both English and Spanish, the words make the acronym LEAD, recognizing that classified are leaders in education. The theme was submitted by Julie Wilborn of Corvallis Chapter 2.
About her theme, Wilborn said, “There are so many Spanish-speaking classified school employees in Oregon, and I felt a bilingual message would foster a sense of unity and action. Messaging in a person’s primary language can increase the emotional impact, which in turn drives action.”
Choosing the theme was not easy for the Public Relations Committee, who reviewed more than 170 submissions from members. But Wilborn’s theme stood out for several reasons: it honors classified professionals as leaders in education, not only “support staff and it is inclusive of the significant number of members who speak Spanish as their primary language.
“It’s wonderful that so many members took the time to be creative with their ideas and send us their entries,” says Public Relations Committee Chair Alison Celsi of Clackamas County Children’s Commission Head Start Chapter 601. “We’re really excited at all the enthusiasm for this year’s CEW theme and look forward to chapters using it for recognition events throughout the state!”
“I love the inclusivity of this year’s theme — every OSEA member adds their own extra sparkle to our union family, and it’s important for every member to feel honored during CEW,” said OSEA President Sarah Wofford. “Our members speak many languages, live in many places and do many different types of work, but we all contribute something important to our schools and communities. And we all show leadership, effectiveness, advocacy and diplomacy in our work every day. Many thanks to Julie and the Public Relations Committee for helping us celebrate that!”
Wilborn’s theme will be used to create posters and promotional items to help OSEA chapters and school districts statewide mark CEW 2023, which will be March 6 through 10. Materials will be available on OSEA’s website beginning February 13.