Adelphi University recently hosted more than 300 high school students and faculty members from 25 schools in Nassau, Suffolk and Queens counties for its 15th Annual Press Day in the Ruth S. Harley University Center on the Garden City campus. Organized by the university’s Office of Marketing and Creative Services as part of the Annual High School Special Event Series, the event recognizes high school journalists with the Quill Awards and also provides an opportunity for them to connect with and hear from professionals in the field.
Press Day 2015 opened with a panel discussion moderated by Adelphi University Communications Department Chair Paul Thaler that featured distinguished journalism professionals from a variety of media outlets, including the New York Daily News, Vibe Magazine, The Source Magazine, FiOS1 MyLITV and university professors. The topic of discussion was “Getting the News from Elsewhere” with panelists exploring the cultural influences of political satirists (like Jon Stewart and Bill Maher) and online sources of information (such as TMZ, Huffington Post, bloggers). Students and panelists then broke into smaller groups for more in-depth discussions.
The event was capped with the presentation of the university’s popular Quill Awards. Student journalists were recognized with first-, second- and third-place prizes and honorable mentions in 15 categories. First place prizes in all categories include:
Most Outstanding Newspaper:
The Wildcat/Wheatley High School and Guide Post/Great Neck North High School
Most Outstanding Reporter: Bianca Buffamonte/Wantagh High School
Best News Article: Jimmy Bie/Hauppauge High School
Best Feature Article: Alanna Levine and Rachel Hoffman/Jericho High School
Best Editorial: Pavithran Ravindran/W.T. Clarke High School
Best Opinion Piece: Grace Tague/Wantagh High School
Best Arts Review: Taylor Kang/Jericho High School
Best Sports Story/Column: James Colgan/New Hyde Park Memorial High School
Best Layout: Guide Post/Great Neck North High School
Best Page One Layout: The Edison Light/Thomas A. Edison CTE High School
Best Photograph: Max Hectman/East Meadow High School
Best Illustration/Cartoon: Soren Olsen/Valley Stream South High School
Best Online Newspaper: JerEcho/Jericho High School
Best Online Writing: Daniel Maron/Hebrew Academy Five Towns & Rockaway
Best Freelance Work: Yitzchak Carroll/DRS Yeshiva High School
Thaler noted: “We’re happy to announce that this is the largest Press Day at Adelphi University in the 15-year history of the event, with more than 300 students and faculty members and 25 schools participating. The caliber of the entries this year was top-notch and the competition was quite tough. The questions raised by students during the panel discussion were perceptive and interesting and it’s clear that these future journalists are indeed quite talented and committed. We congratulate all of the participants on a job well done.”