The Forsyth County News was recognized Friday for its education reporting at the Georgia School Board Association’s annual conference in Atlanta.

Kayla Robins, editor, represented one of four media outlets that were honored with a 2016 Electronic Media Beacon Award, which “recognizes print and electronic media representatives or organizations whose coverage over time has created understanding of public education issues by informing the general public about programs, policies and/or issues affecting the public schools, students and/or communities.”

An estimated 700 local school board members and superintendents attended the conference on Dec. 2-3 at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel.
“We have a strong partnership with the Forsyth County News, driven by a shared goal to keep our community informed and engaged,” Forsyth County Schools Superintendent Jeff Bearden said. “We appreciate the opportunities the newspaper has provided us, especially to highlight our outstanding staff and students, in print and video.”

School board must nominate journalists for a Beacon Award, which was done so unanimously in September.

“It’s nice that they report the good and the bad,” Chairwoman Darla Light said at the time. “They do a good job of bringing out some of the great things we have going on; I really appreciate that.”

The nomination included coverage of education issues, two new print series, When I Grow Up and Scholastic Student Spotlight, which feature elementary and high school students, and Studio Forsyth, a video series that often covers school events.

“The public education Forsyth County Schools gives its students is one of the main reasons people move here,” Robins said, “and we have a focus in the newsroom to highlight that while also objectively covering any situation that may come up.”