Small Team, Big Results: Creating an Award-Winning School Magazine with AI

Date: 7/21/2026

Time: 2:45 - 3:45 PM

Room: Grand Salon 7 & 10 (Floor 1)

Skill Session - Live lecture, panel discussion or interactive session with time for Q&A. 60-minutes.

AI–Artificial intelligence in communications and public schools

Session Description

What if your one-person communications office could operate like a full editorial and creative team?

School PR professionals are being asked to do more than ever—often with limited staff, limited time, and unlimited expectations. This session offers a practical, real-world look at how artificial intelligence and strategic digital tools can help small teams produce high-quality, award-winning publications without sacrificing voice, trust, or professional standards.

Using the NSPRA Award of Excellence–winning Winter 2025 edition of Scarlet & Gray Magazine as a case study, this session walks through the complete workflow used to produce a full school magazine as essentially a one-person department. Attendees will learn how voice notes and AI transcription simplify interviews, how generative AI supports writing while preserving authentic storytelling and editorial control, how Canva enables efficient collaboration with a remote graphic artist, and how PhotoShelter’s AI-powered metadata and facial recognition streamline photo management and retrieval.

This session is designed specifically for school communicators. The focus is on ethical, responsible, and transparent AI use that supports relationship-driven storytelling, protects credibility, and aligns with the values of public education and independent schools alike. Rather than replacing professional expertise, these tools function as force multipliers—turning small teams into highly effective operations.

Attendees will leave with practical workflows, tool recommendations, and clear examples they can adapt immediately in their own roles. Whether you are a solo practitioner or part of a small communications team, this session will provide realistic strategies to work smarter, reduce burnout, and deliver results that resonate with students, families, staff, and the broader community.

Presenter(s)

Allison Bergeron 

Executive Director of Communications

Mater Dei High School

Allison Bergeron, MPA, CSPG
Executive Director of Communications and Media Relations, Mater Dei High School

Allison Bergeron leads strategic communications and storytelling as the Executive Director of Communications and Media Relations at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California. With more than two decades of experience spanning publishing, finance, nonprofit advancement, and school communications, she oversees all aspects of the school’s brand identity and messaging, including school publications, web and social media content, digital asset management, and media relations.

Since returning to Mater Dei in 2008, Allison has served in multiple leadership roles including Director of Admissions Marketing and Director of Estate and Alumni Giving and Major Gifts Officer before assuming her current role in 2021. Her broad institutional perspective allows her to align storytelling, strategy, and stakeholder engagement across academics, athletics, arts, and advancement.

In addition to her work in K through 12 education communications, Allison serves as an adjunct professor in Villanova University’s Master of Public Administration program, where she brings real world communications, leadership, and nonprofit management experience into the classroom.

Earlier in her career, Allison worked in the publishing and finance sectors, experiences that shaped her editorial discipline, attention to detail, and results driven approach to communications. This foundation continues to inform her work today, particularly in long form storytelling, publication management, and strategic messaging.

Allison is known for her strong editorial judgment, ethical storytelling, and thoughtful use of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, to streamline workflows while preserving authenticity and trust. Under her leadership, the Winter 2025 edition of Scarlet and Gray Magazine received an NSPRA Award of Excellence, demonstrating how innovative tools and strategic processes can help small teams achieve award winning results.

She holds a Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in History and English from Villanova University and is a Certified Specialist in Planned Giving through the American Institute for Philanthropic Studies at California State University Long Beach. Allison lives in Orange County with her family and remains deeply engaged in the Mater Dei community as both an alumna and a parent.