mercy vocational high school

Mercy Vocational High School is the only four-year, co-educational Catholic vocational high school in the United States. The school offers students not only a high school diploma but also extensive technical training in one of seven shops operated by the school. The shops include: Business Education; Culinary Arts; Carpentry and Woodworking; Cosmetology; Electrical/Electronics; HVAC/R; and Nursing Assistant. Qualified shop instructors teach current technical skills needed for success in each field.

In early 2003, MVHS hired FSMS to execute an integrated media relations, communications, and marketing strategy to coincide with the launch of an aggressive capital campaign. The comprehensive program was designed to capture the attention of the local media and garner media coverage for the school that featured its students and unique programs. Prior to launching the initiative, FSMS media trained the campaign committee to prepare the group for the anticipated media interest in the school. To answer the anticipated need for "Back to School" stories, FSMS targeted a select group of Philadelphia media and invited them to take a "hands on" tour of the school and meet the students and faculty. The resulting coverage included feature stories in The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Falser, The Philadelphia Daily News, The Roxbourgh Review and televised segments on 6 ABC and NBC 10.

The highlight of the initiative was Sue Serio of Good Day Philadelphia broadcasting live from the halls of the school for three hours during the first week of the 2003-2004 semester. The broadcast featured Sue taking a hands-on look at the Carpentry, Nursing Assistants and Culinary shops, interacting with the students. A consistent and aggressive campaign to the media has kept Mercy Vocational High School top-of-mind in the media, and more importantly, the potential contributors to the capital campaign.