Shakerite Students Bring Home Accolades from National Conference
The Shakerite won top accolades at the National Scholastic Press Association's annual fall convention in Orlando, Fla. A Shakerite editorial was named Opinion Story of the Year by the NSPA, and a Shakerite sports story garnered fourth place nationally in the competition.
The March 4, 2015, editorial, “District Let Down Lomond Students,” published in the Vol. 85, Issue 3 edition and written by 2015 graduates Marcia Brown, editor-in-chief, and managing editors John Vodrey and Abby White, claimed top honors amid a field of 10 finalists that featured no other Ohio publications. According to the judge, “There were a lot of tough competitors in this category. The winning entries are on topics of importance to the readers, explain the subject well, take firm stands, offer suggestions and are well written.”
Senior Raider Zone Editor Ned Weingart’s Nov. 17, 2014, story, “Will Shaker Ever Let There be Light?” earned fourth place in the NSPA Sports Story of the Year category and was one of two Ohio finalists among 10. The judge called the story an “interesting look at the costs and benefits of playing [high school] games at night” and commended the story angle, Weingart’s use of a neighborhood survey and graphics.
Last year, Vodrey and White earned second place in the NSPA Multimedia Story of the Year category for “The ‘Difficult Years,’ ” their examination of the Middle School, while Brown garnered an honorable mention in the Diversity Story of the Year category for “Drunken Insults, Racial Slurs . . . It Must be Opening Day in Cleveland.”
The National Scholastic Press Association presents the Individual Awards annually in six categories, “honoring the best individuals in scholastic journalism. Entries are judged by teams of professionals with experience and expertise in the area of each particular contest. The contests are open to any student on staff of an NSPA member publication.”
More than 6,100 scholastic journalists from across the country attended the NSPA convention this year.