Calibrating Creativity - Equipping Your [small] Team to be the Best Storytellers Without Burning Out
Date: 7/20/2026
Time: 3:45 - 4:45 PM
Room: Grand Ballroom D (Floor 1)
Skill Session - Live lecture, panel discussion or interactive session with time for Q&A. 60-minutes.
TACTICS–Tactics, activities and tools in communications
Session Description
So much to do and so few of you! What if calibrating your creativity to cover more ground with less resources was a thing?
This session provides School PR Pros with a framework of tackling strategies, systems, and storytelling — in that order. For one person shops to small and medium sized teams, there’s a lot to be gained by having those “boring” systems conversations so your small-but-mighty crew can cover your large district like a large team without sacrificing team wellness.
Learn how a small team of three more than doubled their strategic multimedia output for one of Nebraska’s largest school districts, and, in turn, strengthened trust in the district.
The conversation will include:
1. Sustaining long-term team wellness while igniting creative sparks
2. Systemizing school, classroom, and event coverage
3. How to increase multimedia output and connect it to district goals
4. Tips and templates from award-winning small team efforts
Because working smarter, not harder, while telling the best version of the story is possible... and prevents burnout.
Presenter(s)
Mitchell Roush M.A.
Director of Communications & Marketing
Grand Island Public Schools
MITCHELL ROUSH - Communications Director @ Grand Island Public Schools (Neb.)
STRATEGIES. SYSTEMS. STORYTELLING.
Mitch is an award-winning School Public Relations Professional, podcaster, writer, and speaker.
Mitchell Roush serves as the Communications Director for Grand Island Public Schools (GIPS) in central Nebraska, a district serving over 10,000 students and nearly 1,600 staff. GIPS ranks among the largest and most diverse school districts in the state through 18 schools and 22 buildings.
Since joining GIPS in 2021, Roush, with support of district administration, has helped grow the district communications team to three full-time staffers and one part-time student intern. Since then, GIPS has launched the district's first new website in seven years, doubled content marketing efforts, launched a podcast, established a years-long “We Are GIPS” multimedia campaign, earned National recognition for their "Going Cell Phone Free" campaign, and helped increase community, staff, and family “trustworthy” survey scores through strategic communication and staff retention efforts.
Roush was recently named the 2026 Nebraska School Communicator of the Year by NebSPRA.
GIPS Communications has earned 30 National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) Awards in four years including the district's first two Golden Achievement Awards in 2024 and 2025. The district podcast he hosts, ‘The GIPS Cast’, was recently listed as a Top 10 Public School Podcast in the country by Million Podcasts. Roush was also recognized as an NSPRA Top 35 Under 35 Class member of 2022-23 and a Top 3 finalist for the Nebraska School Communicator of the Year Award for 2024-25. He also serves as the Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee for the Nebraska School Public Relations Association (NebSPRA), has hosted webinars to support school public relations work across the country, and published an article in School Administrator Magazine, ‘Unplugging for the Better: A Mid-Year Cellphone Shutdown’, in January 2025.
As a champion and product of public education, Mitchell believes in amplifying student and teacher voices. Through proactive positive communication and a sharp acumen for digital marketing, his team is dedicated to sharing the microphone to spotlight the powerful stories found in all corners of GIPS.
Mitchell also enjoys the music of Johnny Cash and Pixar movies. LinkedIn Profile
Calibrating Creativity - Equipping Your [small] Team to be the Best Storytellers Without Burning Out
Category
Skill Session - Live lecture, panel discussion or interactive session with time for Q&A. 60-minutes.