Valerie Kirk

Valerie Kirk

Brands are built, products are sold, customers remain engaged, and employees stay motivated because of great corporate storytelling and campaigns that touch people on a personal level. That is what I do. I am an experienced corporate marketing communications writer specializing in content marketing, brand messaging, and employee engagement. 

Our Children Magazine - National PTA's Unique Voic •

10 Tips to Help Teens Find Scholarships to Pay for College - Our Children Magazine

College comes with plenty of exciting possibilities—and a price tag that can make any parent take a very deep breath. The good news? Scholarships can help cover the high cost of college—and they aren’t just reserved for straight-A students or star athletes. There are college scholarships for high school students based on interests, community service, career goals, hobbies, geography, and even some pretty unusual talents. The trick is knowing where to look, getting organized and encouraging...
Connections Academy •

2024 Parent Satisfaction Survey Results – Connections Academy®

Every year, Connections Academy conducts a Parent Satisfaction Survey to understand how families enrolled in Pearson’s online K-12 school feel about their child’s learning experience and the support both students and families receive from their school. The survey offers valuable insights into things that we are doing well and areas where we can improve to help our students succeed.   More than 27,400 parents responded to the 2023-2024 Parent Satisfaction Survey, with 96% reporting that they were...
McCormick Corporate Blog •

Supply Chain Rotational Analyst Miranda Morales Breaks Barriers and Embraces Opportunities – and She’s Just Getting Started | Life at McCormick

Meet Supply Chain Rotational Analyst Miranda Morales, who is participating in McCormick’s three-year Rotational Program to gain hands-on experience at the start of her engineering career. Miranda Morales lives by the mantra that tomorrow is never promised, so you should never let today’s opportunities pass you by. At 23, she has embraced the opportunities that have come her way, especially those that have made her uncomfortable. “It’s good to be uncomfortable,” she said. “Being uncomfortable...
Connections Academy •

Meet Online Teacher and Football Referee Rudy Studd – Connections Academy®

For families and students, one of the key benefits of attending online school is the flexibility it offers. With no set class schedules day-to-day, students have time to pursue their extracurricular interests and passions.   But did you know that same flexibility is also a key benefit for virtual teachers?   Connections Academy teacher Rudy Studd is taking full advantage of the flexibility of being an online teacher. When he is not teaching sixth grade language arts and science at Great River Co...
Professional Development | Harvard DCE •

Why Workplace Culture Matters

That’s a lot of time, so it’s important for people to choose jobs that they enjoy. But during the job search process, it’s easy to focus only on the duties of the role. What is often overlooked is the workplace culture, which is more important when it comes to long-term job satisfaction. A poor workplace culture can negatively impact a person’s wellbeing. It can also significantly impact the company’s bottom line, leading to low productivity and high turnover. In contrast, people working in co

Meeting Federal Cybersecurity Mandates Requires AI/ML-Driven Big Data Analytics

From an overabundance of data to resource and skills gaps, Federal cybersecurity teams are facing an uphill battle to achieve Federal mandates and secure systems against growing and evolving cyber threats. Emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), can help technology leaders do more with less by analyzing large datasets and spotting unusual activity faster. Adding automated responses can deliver real-time security at scale, stopping threats before d
Connections Academy •

Benefits of Online AP Classes | ®

There are many benefits for students who choose to take AP courses online, especially when it comes to college admissions, including: Instead of the typical grading method in which an “A” earns four points, an “A” in an AP course may earn five points. This allows students to achieve GPAs that are higher than the traditional 4.0 average. Grading scales are determined by each school, so students should check with their counselor about which grading scale will be used. Many colleges accept AP cou
Harvard Summer School •

Why Study Abroad | Harvard

From the birthplace of democracy to a centuries-old Buddhist temple, the world is full of places rich in history and culture just waiting to be explored. Study abroad experiences offer motivated and enthusiastic learners from high school to retirement age, depending on the program, a chance to expand their learning environment to a different part of the world. Most programs offer college credits, and study abroad scholarships and financial aid may be available to help with costs. College studen
Connections Academy •

Finding Success in Online High School | ®

Whether you are new to online school or your student has been attending since kindergarten, the transition from elementary school to middle school and high school comes with a lot of changes—and a lot of concerns from parents. With the more advanced curriculum, the growing responsibilities at school and with other activities, and the social and emotional changes that happen in the tween and teen years, many parents wonder how to navigate this new world. “It’s common for parents to have concerns
Harvard Summer School •

Summer Activities That Will Boost A College Application

It’s a rite of passage — every year, millions of high school seniors apply to college. The college application process typically follows months of research, campus tours, and meetings with advisors and admissions officers to find programs that offer the college life and career opportunities the student is looking for. Finding the right colleges to apply to can be exciting. But completing the college application process can be stressful — really stressful. A recent survey found that 74% of stude
Harvard Extension School •

Careers in STEM: Why Should I Study Data Science?

Data is often referred to as the new gold because it has become an essential raw material. From smartphones to traffic cameras to weather satellites, modern technology devices are collecting massive amounts of data that support everything from cancer research to city planning. The importance of data in today’s world spans all industries including healthcare, education, travel, and government. Business decisions are made based on data and improving customer experiences relies on data. It is als
MeriTalk •

Improving the Government Customer Experience With Enterprise Service Management – MeriTalk State & Local

Customer service and the user experience includes internal clients. From managing requests to improving information flow, departments outside of the technology organization struggle with keeping track of an increasing avalanche of email inquiries, work orders, status reports, and data updates. MeriTalk sat down with Andrew Graf, chief product officer at TeamDynamix, an IT service management and integration platform-as-a-service software solutions provider, to discuss how enterprise service manag

Suicide warning signs for kids and where to go for help – Connections Academy

The statistics are alarming and the stories heartbreaking. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for people ages 15–24, and the second leading cause of death for kids ages 10–14. In 2021, emergency departments across the country noted a sharp rise in 12-to-17-year-olds needing treatment for suicidal actions. A survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 1 in 5 said they’d thought about suicide. Our children are facing a mental health crisis, with more than a thir
Article •

Good Enough Is Not Okay: Agencies Need a Holistic Approach to Cybersecurity

Against the backdrop of a significant rise in cyberattacks against the Federal government and private sector organizations, President Biden has made cybersecurity a critical focus of his administration. His Executive Order on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity (EO 14028) gives technology teams marching orders with aggressive deadlines for securing Federal networks, systems, and endpoints. “With CIOs under pressure to meet the deadlines, technology teams may rush to implement disparate technol
Disaster Recovery Blog •

Do You Know Who is Responsible for Disaster Recovery in the Cloud? (Hint: It’s Not Your Cloud Provider)

Since the release of the Cloud First mandate in 2011, the Federal government has been pushing agencies to modernize legacy technology and migrate to the cloud. While Cloud First evolved into Cloud Smart, agencies have historically taken a measured approach to cloud migration. On the most recent FITARA scorecard, only three agencies scored an A in the Modernizing Government Technology category. Eleven agencies scored a C or below. Building backup and effective disaster recovery solutions in an o

A Student’s Guide to Getting Started with Online School – Connections Academy®

School is so much more than academics. The student’s experience at school plays a significant role in their success and overall well-being. Negative experiences, such as bullying, not feeling challenged enough, or falling behind with no path to catch up, leads to student’s who tune out and disengage from school, hurting them academically and leading to mental health issues, including depression and anxiety. It’s estimated that over 15% of students miss one or more days of school due to bullying.

Virtual Learning and Working Parents: 5 Tips to Make It Work – Connections Academy®

Virtual school offers many benefits for K–12 students, including flexible scheduling, personalized learning, and a safe learning environment. For working parents, those benefits may seem out of reach for their students as they worry about balancing job responsibilities with online school. How do working parents manage virtual school? Don’t worry—you’ve got this! Finding success in online school requires balance, patience, and commitment for all types of families. And while each family has to fin
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