July 2003 eNews

Our latest PRSA-St. Louis chapter eNews is sponsored by Bacon’s Media Pulse.

Mark your Calendars
If you haven’t signed up for the Aug 7 Wine Tasting Social at Grapevine Wines in Kirkwood or the Aug. 19 PRSA monthly luncheon "Do the Write Thing" with St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Dick Weiss at the Junior League, follow the respective links. And circle these dates for fall PRSA luncheons – Sept. 17, Oct. 14, Nov (tba) and Dec. 19. Speaker and topic information to come.

Accreditation-New and Improved
The long-awaited revised Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) examination process is finally ready for introduction. The new process is quite different and includes a Readiness Review with local accredited members (versus the traditional “oral exam”) followed by a private, electronic exam offered at Prometric testing locations across the country to be taken at a time of the candidate’s choosing.

The St. Louis Chapter has always assisted APR candidates in preparation for the exam and that commitment continues. If you are interested in pursuing Accreditation, please do two things:
1. Check out www.PRSA.org
2. Contact Denise Bentele Heintz, APR, St. Louis Chapter Accreditation chair. heintzfamily@earthlink.net

Newly Accredited Members
The St. Louis Chapter recently added new APRs to its roster as several members earned accreditation in 2003. The last “class” of members who passed the traditional exam are:

Suzanne Holroyd, APR; Danielle Oser, APR; Kathy Siddens, APR; Rob Staggenborg, APR; Paul Tandy, APR; Karen Thompson, APR, and Rita Holmes-Bobo, APR (national member only).

Three brave St. Louisans volunteered to take the Beta test of the new exam...sitting through six tough hours in the name of improving our profession. Future generations are indebted to them. They are:
Matt Gerke, APR, Crystal Howard, APR and Melissa Lackey, APR

Meet our Newest Members
Tammy Bettega-Thomas, Consultant (new from Tulsa, Okla).
Derrell Lamont Carter, Senior Manager, Public Relations, Express Scripts
Michelle Corley, President, Better Business Bureau +

On the Move
Sande’ Beaubeouf, from Horner Shifrin to new position, company (tba)
Denise Bentele Heintz, from the Standing Partnership to Common Ground Public Relations
Laura Pendino, from City of St. Peters, to independent consulting
Craig Simon, from AKA Design to Craig Martin Simon Design

2003 PRSA St. Louis Scholarship Winner Honored
Zeljko Strkalj, a native Bosnian who spent most of his life growing up in Germany, is the 2003 winner of the PRSA-St. Louis $500 scholarship for students entering their first year of college. Zeljko has been in the United States only four years, completing his academic classes with an approximate 3.9 GPA while attending Roosevelt High School.

Strkalj, introduced at the July PRSA luncheon, will attend the Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago this fall and major in computer graphics design. Awarded an Environmental Award from the EPA for his graphics on “The Importance of Clean Air” video, he also has been recognized by St. Louis Public Schools for Outstanding Performance. He was a member of the Academic Olympics team that won first place in St. Louis and a member of the National Honor Society. One of his classroom teachers praised him by saying: “Zeljko is the best student I have had in four years at Roosevelt, a self-learner and extremely motivated.” The Post-Dispatch is planning a story on him later this summer.

 Ronnie Patrick, last year’s PRSA Roosevelt High School scholarship winner seems to be doing well, also. According to Shane Hopper, an academy advisor, Ronnie feels a little isolated close to the Canadian border (in North Dakota) but (his) grades are good and he has really established himself with the football program there. “He is level-headed and mature. He is the type of student that may not be as talented as some but works harder than everybody else – the type every teacher enjoys having,” Hopper said.

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