Baldwin Union Free School District

Baldwin Union Free School District

Dr. Shari Camhi, superintendent of the Baldwin Union Free School District in Baldwin, NY, feels that today’s students must be better prepared for the future, so she ensures her district offers learners an “evolved educational experience.” Within Baldwin’s diverse student body (47.7% Black, 32.3% Hispanic/Latino, 10.6% White, and 4.8% Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander), approximately 25% of students are eligible to participate in the federal free and reduced-price meal program and nearly 10% are English language learners.

Pivotal to Dr. Camhi’s approach are skills building and career exploration, beginning in elementary school, and providing experiential, hands-on learning opportunities in transformed classroom settings. The result? Baldwin maintains a 99% graduation rate, some of the highest college acceptance rates in the nation, along with top-tier Advanced Placement (AP) course participation and Regents scores – all remarkable outcomes. Dr. Camhi, our primary spokesperson for PR and communications, is the past president of the AASA (the national School Superintendents Association) and an education changemaker who is working diligently to transformation public education and improve its image.

Baldwin hired Rosica to step up its storytelling efforts and position Dr. Camhi, regionally and nationally, as a K-12 public education thought leader, go-to media expert, and content contributor. This work entails telling Baldwin’s story of award-winning successes and transformation, not only through local Long Island and New York-Metro media, but on a national level.

Employing a strategic media relations and thought leadership style, our program focuses on positioning Dr. Camhi for interviews on such relevant, trending education topics like media literacy, student mental health, and career readiness. We regularly leverage Baldwin students’ accomplishments and publicize human-interest stories, unique programs, the district’s committed educators, and co-create powerful media events to accelerate storytelling and secure accolades for this high-impact public education model.

To date, Rosica Communications has broadened and improved media relationships with national and regional media, including Newsday and News 12 Long Island, which have consistently covered the district’s events.

We also edited and placed several op-ed and bylined articles for Dr. Camhi’s that have appeared in national mass and education trade media. One such article, on the topic of transforming public education, appeared in The Hill.

We have secured earned media placements for Baldwin on the topic of media literacy with education trade publications including K12 Dive and District Administration.

We are also focusing on the district’s newly opened Wellness Center as it is among the first school districts in the nation to establish a comprehensive resource on school grounds at no cost to families. Rosica secured Long Island media for the grand opening/unveiling event, and we are ensuring that Baldwin is included in the national conversation about the youth mental health crisis.