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Shakerite Papers Newsroom With Awards

Top honors went to The Shakerite, Shaker Heights High School's student newspaper, in the 2004 Northeast Ohio Scholastic Press Association Press Day contest and critique April 21 at Kent State University. The Shakerite earned the Golden Flash award for best overall newspaper in the large school division, and Shakerite faculty adviser Natalie Sekicky was named Best Large School Adviser in NOSPA's adviser of the year category.

In their comments about The Shakerite, judges said:

  •   “Great coverage. This paper has a little bit of everything for everyone.”
  •   “Writing and editing are also strong – the basics have clearly been mastered. The staff is doing a great job here.”
  •   “Cutlines are thorough and complete. As a well-read portion of the paper, that is a very good thing.”
  •   “Graphically, the paper is excellent. A lot of nice, inviting sidebars and extras to pull the reader in – well done.”
  •   “Front page is well-designed . . . visually inviting.”
  •   “Excellent paper – great writing and design. I'm sure The Shakerite is well read at your school. Keep up the good work.”

More than 1,000 students from high schools in Ohio and western Pennsylvania compete in the annual NOSPA Press Day contest. Students can enter any of several dozen categories, ranging from newswriting and commentary to ad design and infographics.

Earning superior evaluations for individual work were:

  • Lauren Weiss, Marguerite Moore, Marta Lapczynski and Jason Plautz, Team In-Depth
  • Kyan Safavi, Columns
  • David O'Connell, Sports Opinion
  • Meagan Steiner, Sports Opinion
  • Will Wemer, Becca Bonthius, Kyan Safavi, Matt Seidner and Owen Hearey, Editorials (Two superior awards)
  • Becca Bonthius, Newswriting
  • Will Wemer, News Features

Earning excellent evaluations for individual work were:

  • Becca Bonthius, Front Page Newspaper Design (Two awards)
  • Will Wemer, Front Page Newspaper Design (Two awards)
  • Kelly Schaefer, Individual In-depth
  • Betty Elee, News Features
  • Andy Cameron, Commentary
  • Allison Vitkus, Editorial Cartoon
  • Emily Grannis, Sports Feature
  • Meagan Steiner, Sports Feature
  • Aviva Ariel, Team In-depth Story
  • Renee Frantz, Team In-depth Story

In addition, Shakerite staffers earned 10 Honorable Mention designations for their work.

 

 

 

 

 

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