Best Place to Work
Firstmark has been named a Best Place to Work for five years in a row!
Communications is a field that offers plenty of opportunity for students to hone their social skills and develop a diligent work ethic. This area of expertise also allows kids the chance to be as creative as they can be, with a canvas of endless possibilities.
Darla White, educator at Zachry Middle School, wanted to provide equipment for her students to use while working on their school newspaper, yearbook, and other various communications efforts, to build their understanding of the profession and more importantly grow as an individual. Thanks to Power of the Dollar® members, she was awarded a $1,000 grant in December 2025 for her “Wolverine Den Echoes: Student Voices, Campus News” project idea, which she then used the grant funds to purchase new, high-quality cameras, lighting materials, microphones, and more!
“The inspiration was the students,” White said. “The goal is always how can we improve the students’ skills and what can we do to help them to be better communicators. I want my students to become better than when they came in—that was the catalyst for this initiative, and when you have the equipment you need, it makes it all the better.”
Not only does communications provide a platform where kids can harness their skillset, but it gives them a canvas to be creative beyond their imagination. Using their media knowledge to develop new ideas and exercise an inventive way of curating unseen, unheard storytelling can bring out the best in students and help them foster a passion for effective messaging. Ms. White wanted her students to take ownership of their work but also—and more importantly—find there’s a lot of fun along the way in doing so.
“It’s student-led generated ideas,” she said. “They’re excited. There is one student of mine where he said to me, ‘I’m there. I want to do this.’ He wants to be a leader, interviewer, and anchor. It’s so important to have that skill but to have the confidence—that’s one of the things we really wanted to encourage and grow in our students with this project.”
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Firstmark has been named a Best Place to Work for five years in a row!
Firstmark has been named a Best Place to Work for five years in a row!