PINEVILLE — The Bell County School District (BCSD) and two staff members have received awards for efforts in the school’s information services.

Three awards were presented to the BCSD and its staff during the 2009 OASIS (Outstanding Achievement in School Information Services) awards banquet. The Kentucky School Boards Association and the Kentucky School Public Relations Association (KYSPRA) sponsored the event.

The OASIS program honors outstanding school personnel in everything from writing, photography, design and content to technology — anything that aims to keep the public informed of the success stories and challenges in the school district.

The awards were given as follows: Gina Johnson, Community Education Director/Grant Writer, was awarded First Place in the Miscellaneous Printed Materials category for her entry titled Service Learning Transforming Instructional Learning; Pam Greene, Pupil Personnel Director, was awarded third place in the Power Point Presentations titled Employee Harassment Training; and the school district, along with community organizations/agencies, were awarded First Place in the Special Events category, recognizing their efforts in welcoming the Highly Skilled Educators Cadre to Bell County.

“It’s not just the OASIS honors that impresses me the most, but the fact that we have produced top quality efforts aimed at keeping the community informed,” said Superintendent George Thompson in a statement.

“The Bell County School District is committed to providing Bell County’s students with a top-quality education. Through such programs and activities as those honored this year, we strive to keep the community informed of our efforts while providing unique learning opportunities for our students and involvement opportunities for our parents, grandparents and the entire community,” Thompson said.

At Monday night’s board of education meeting, the board congratulated the winners. They were also treated to Greene’s humorous slideshow which placed third. Greene and Johnson said they entered the competition on a lark and were surprised by their immediate success.

Submissions in the 2009 OASIS program received written review by a panel of communications and public affairs professionals. Based on the judge’s scoring, selected entries received plaques, which were presented during the KYSPRA Annual Conference.

Stephen Woodward is a Staff Writer for the Daily News. He may be contacted at swoodward@middlesborodailynews.com.