By HANNAH STEELE- Some may say that journalism is a dying art, but it was very much alive at the annual “Newspaper in Education” banquet on March 22nd at the Indiana Gazette office.
The Indiana Gazette hosted an event honoring the winners and runner-ups of the NIE competition, which had an attendance of 80 people. Between the “Write an Opinion,” “Write a Feature Story,” and numerous photography contests, IHS had 17 award winners from all grade levels.
“Newspaper in Education” promotes high school journalism through writing and photography contests. The program, which has been a part of the Gazette for 33 years, advocates for newspapers to be used as resources in the modern classroom. Entries in the writing contest were judged by the IUP Journalism Department, while submissions for the photography contest were arbitrated by the Indiana Gazette photography administration.
“We [the Gazette] were pleased with the turnout, especially since we had to change the date of the event because of the weather,” stated NIE Coordinator Hastie Kinter of the Indiana Gazette. “I think high school journalism remains an important part of the curriculum for high school students. Even though the way we view the news may be changing, the need for good journalists remains strong. We still need people reporting accurate news whether people are reading it in print or online.”
At the banquet, cash prizes were presented to students that received first, second, and third place in each of the competitions. First place was awarded $50, second place was presented $25, and third place $15. Students then got their photograph taken by the Gazette to be placed by their article in the following Tuesday paper.
Freshman Justin Reese, who wrote a winning opinion story titled “Healthcare Through the Eyes of a Diabetic” expressed his enjoyment at the banquet. “I think that it was great to see high school journalism in the spotlight.”
“I had a lot of fun at the banquet,” freshman Adriana Guth-Borowski professed. “I enjoyed participating in the competition because I got to write and learn more about my grandma.” Guth- Borowski took home third place in the “Write a Feature Story” competition with an article titled “Life in a 1960s High School.”
Sophomore Jorie Meil, who won first place for writing a feature story about growing up in a Jewish family, also enjoyed the ceremony. “The banquet was really fun, and it was nice to see people from surrounding schools who are just as interested in journalism as I am.”
The banquet ended with an optional tour of the facility, which included the printing press, information about the history of the Indiana Gazette, and a glance of the daily happenings of a reporter.
[Photo by Justin Reese]
Photo caption: “Freshman Justin Reese admires his award-winning article, ‘Healthcare Through the Eyes of a Diabetic’.”
