← Back Published on

Middle Road Elementary School Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony


Project Overview

Oversee and support Prince George County Public Schools' celebration of the completion of the division's new elementary school campus, Middle Road Elementary School, during a special ceremony on Wednesday, February 1, 2023. 

Background

In 2020, following the selection of a site by the Prince George School Board and Prince George Board of Supervisors, the school division worked quickly to begin development of a new state-of-the-art elementary school that would replace the aging William A. Walton Elementary School. In May 2021, the school division celebrated campus' construction with a groundbreaking ceremony, attended by division faculty and staff, state delegates, and other dignitaries. During the summer of 2022, the school division solicited comment from the community regarding the school's name upon completion. Following a robust communications campaign, the Prince George School selected Middle Road Elementary School as the campus' name. In late 2022, planning for the campus' opening celebration began, with Michael Campbell serving as the lead in communications and advising division leadership regarding plans for the celebration. The ceremony would take place on Wednesday, February 1, 2023, two weeks ahead of the building's first day of classes on February 21, 2023.

Planning

In late 2022, an event and communications plan was created by the division's Communications and Public Relations office. This plan outlined expectations for the ribbon-cutting event, including:

  • Venue considerations, such as plans for indoor and outdoor ceremonies and accommodations for weather
  • Content needs, including press materials (e.g. high-quality photography, media release) and fliers.
  • Timelines and expectations for content creation, including deadlines for content distribution onto the division's official communications, and the media.

Working collaboratively with the division superintendent, Michael Campbell created a flier that would be posted physically across the county and digitally via the division's official channels. 

  • Click HERE to view the event flier

Implementation

On the day of the event, Michael Campbell oversaw the event's shift to an indoor ceremony due to weather, ensuring decor and other aesthetics were set ahead of the event's start.

Additionally, he moved through the school following tour groups, capturing photography that will be used by the division for future projects and publications.

Throughout the ceremony, Michael Campbell captured candid and staged photos of speakers and dignitaries, leading up to the ribbon-cutting event outside of the school, which culminated in a group photo of division and county leadership and other invited guests to cut the green and gold ribbon outside of Middle Road Elementary School

An overview of tasks handled during the event day include:

  • Lead photographer for the event for Prince George County Public Schools, capturing candid and staged images, including the official images of the ribbon-cutting outside of the school, and editing them for distribution. Click HERE to see a selection of images from the event taken by Michael Campbell.
  • Published the division's official press release following the event, which included background information about the new school and specific details for the school's community. Click HERE to read the press release published by Michael Campbell and PGCPS.
  • Assisted in decorating the main event space for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, including tables and other spaces.

On February 2, 2023, the press release was distributed to the division's media partners, including links to Prince George County Public Schools' Flickr channel for additional photography. The article was published in The Prince George Journal newspaper locally.

  • Click HERE to see the published article in The Prince George Journal

Finally, the division's project website was updated to include information about the ribbon-cutting ceremony, a link to images, and other details as provided by division leadership.