When planning an anniversary program, public and media attention
often is short-lived. A recent program commemorating the 10th
anniversary of the Challenger space shuttle disaster demonstrates how
a multi-dimensional program can stretch the window of public interest,
and bring attention to broader goals beyond a historic milestone.
Prior to the Jan. 28, 1986, Challenger tragedy, Framingham State
College, in Framingham, Mass., had already begun instituting programs
to honor Christa McAuliffe, the New Hampshire teacher who was a
graduate of the school and who perished that day along with the rest
of the crew. After her tragic death, the college continued with the
programs it had begun to further the inspirational model she presented
for teachers, students and the public at large.
A facility to support excellence in teaching, the Christa
Corrigan McAuliffe Center for Education and Teaching Excellence, was
opened in 1985 at the college, located near Boston. In 1994, the
center was combined with Massachusetts' Challenger Center. This
center, like others created in most other states, commemorated the
legacy of the entire crew of the Challenger.
Program To Honor Teaching
To execute a program marking the 10th anniversary of McAuliffe's
death, the college, with no PR staff on the payroll, worked with its
longtime PR agency, Parker & James Communications, Dedham, Mass., to
plan and execute a program. Paul Weller, Ph.D., president of the
college, directed the school's involvement.
According to Elenore Parker of Parker & James, the overriding
goal of the 10th anniversary program was to renew respect for teachers
and the teaching profession in general. More specifically, the
program sought to increase visibility for the McAuliffe Center, and
for the college.
The program components included national efforts honoring teacher
excellence, as well as a local exhibits and ceremonies to capture
interest in the greater Boston area.
Teacher Recognition Programs
Framingham State and Parker & James conceived two national
programs to draw attention to teaching excellence and the mission of
the McAuliffe Center.
One program, "Christa's Teachers," encourages students, teachers
and others to honor teachers by having the Center send a personalized
medallion or framed certificate. In addition to recognizing teaching
excellence, the program also raises money for the center through a $50
submission fee. The program was publicized through media coverage, as
well as through a direct mail effort to school principals and
superintendents in Massachusetts.
The college teamed up with another effort begun independently to
honor the legacy of McAuliffe and other members of the Challenger
crew. Sheila Perry, a Missouri teacher, who was recognized as a
McAuliffe Fellow through a U.S. Department of Education program
started after the Challenger disaster, in 1995 received a grant from
the state of Missouri for a program that would allow teachers to
distribute materials to their students about McAuliffe and the
Challenger mission. Dubbed, "Christa, This One's For You," it
originally ws conceived as a program that Perry would operate
independently via an Internet Web site. But Parker & James and the
college persuaded Perry to team with the college and include the
program as part of the college's 10th anniversary activities.
The program was publicized nationally via a news release sent to
national education publications, and letters sent to more than 700
McAuliffe fellows across the country.
Local Programs
Activities also were planned to draw local interest in the
McAuliffe Center to commemorate the anniversary. In a program known
as "Christa's Kids," Massachusetts school children were invited to
participate in a contest to name the space shuttle model located
within the Challenger Learning Center inside the McAuliffe Center.
On the anniversary of the disaster, several activities were
planned on the Framingham State campus. The day's program, under the
name "Christa's Campus," included displays of winners of an
"intergalactic" art competition, a choral presentation by local
elementary school students, and a recognition event for some of
Christa McAuliffe's teachers.
State House Exhibit
A keystone of the anniversary program was an exhibit developed
for public viewing at the Massachusetts State House, the meeting place
of the state's legislators in Boston. Running between Jan. 23 and
Feb. 1--a week straddling the anniversary of the disaster--the exhibit
featured McAuliffe memorabilia honoring her as a teacher, mother and
daughter.
Legislators and the media were invited to identify at the kic-off
event teachers who had made a difference in their lives or the lives
of their children.
Wide Local Exposure
The statehouse exhibit and teacher recognition programs received
extensive coverage from the Massachusetts media.
Extensive coverage was assured through media partnerships with a
Boston television station and a suburban Boston newspaper chain. As
the school planned its activities, it recruited the support of Boston
ABC-TV affiliate WCBV Channel 5 and Community Newspaper Company (CNC).
CNC produced and ran free advertisements about anniversary
activities and published them in all 97 of its community newspapers
which cover the suburban communities of the greater Boston area.
Several Boston TV stations covered the official opening of the
statehouse exhibit. Newspaper coverage included the Boston Globe and
the Associated Press.
The "This One's For You" program resulted in more than 5,000
requests for information from the McAuliffe Center from classroom
teachers across the country.
The McAuliffe center also received several hundred paid requests for
medallions and citations through the "Christa's Teachers" program.
(Parker & James, 617/320-0061)