Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools will be developing a social media presence following the board passing a recommendation on the issue at the board's last meeting on June 5.The board plans to use social media at the next stakeholder engagement initiative to be held in the fall. The purpose of the initiative will be to form part of the board's advocacy efforts.“We just kind of fell short of naming exactly what that would be, we're just trying to see what … we can think of will be something that will pique people's interest. We want it to be something that will be long term,” said Adriana LaGrange, chair of the board.During the meeting, the board heard a presentation by Jeanne Davis, Red Deer Catholic's communications co-ordinator, about a board in the Peace River region that has used social media with great success.LaGrange said she is in favour of using social media, so long as parameters are drawn up on its use, which the division is now in the process of doing.“Absolutely anything we can use to engage our stakeholders, whether it be parents or students … so many people are using social media … we just need to tap into that in a responsible manner. This is just another vehicle we could use, another tool,” she said.The board has used some elements of social media such as Powerschool, which allows parents to check in with the division's schools on such matters as grades, but Twitter and Facebook have yet to be launched. The board also launched a new website last fall. LaGrange said the division is taking its time to ensure people are in place to answer “tweets” and keep other aspects of social media up to date.“That's where people are nowadays, so that's where we need to be as well,” she said.LaGrange said she hopes by using social media, the division will have more two-way communication with stakeholders.“This is the first time we're looking at it in this in-depth structure. This one, we want it to be more interactive, where we can relay information,” she said, noting it could be used in various ways, such as formulating the division's education plan.
