ROXBURY REVIEW AWARDED FOR EXCELLENCE

 

For the second year in a row, the Roxbury Review has been awarded first place for overall excellence in the Garden State Scholastic Press Association’s (GSSPA) annual journalism competition.

In addition, the newspaper also received the New Jersey Distinguished Journalism Award for the first time. The competition’s judges determined the award for overall excellence; the award for distinguished journalism means the Review staff accumulated the highest point total in all categories.

The two designations are the highest awarded by GSSPA, the statewide organization for high school journalists and their advisers.  This allows the Review to retain its informal title of the “best student newspaper in the state,” said Jane Hopper, adviser.  The Review won in the large-school category (schools with populations greater than 1,500 students).

Editor-in-chief, Paul Hoferer, accepted the award on behalf of the staff, along with last year’s editor-in-chief, Megan Alfieri, at the GSSPA’s annual fall meeting at Rutgers University on October 24, 2005.  More than 70 high school newspapers and yearbook staffs attended the conference. 

Review staff members won 17 individual and team awards: three for first place, three for second place, and three for third place, as well as eight honorable mentions.

Improving on last year’s achievement means that “the standard of excellence that was set last year was surpassed,” Ms. Hopper said.  “The dedication of the students to the highest journalistic standards is personally rewarding. I am extremely proud of the teamwork that these awards represent.”

Awards received by individual students and reporting teams include:

First Place

Joseph McLaughlin

News Writing

 

Mo Chen

Editorial Cartooning

 

Josh Lehrer (2005 graduate)

Photography

 

 

 

Second Place

Paul Hoferer

Column Writing

 

Allison Gibbons (2005 graduate)

Layout and Design

 

Beth Williams

Artwork/Illustration

 

 

 

Third Place

Allison Gibbons (2005 graduate)

News Writing

 

Julie Linden (2005 graduate)
Mandy Mortillaro
Emily Baltz
James Marconi (2005 graduate)
Lyndsie Moran
Caroline McLaughlin
Alexis Seckler
Helen Goot
Amanda Travers
Emily Mercadante

In-Depth Reporting –

The Game of School

 

Melanie Hooper

Reviews/Entertainment

 

 

 

Honorable Mention

Katilyn Buckley
Helen Chen

In-Depth Reporting

 

Emily Baltz

News Writing

 

Megan Alfieri (2005 graduate)

Feature Writing

 

Allison Gibbons
Adriana Goni
Tim Keown
Christina Vaia (2005 graduate)

In-Depth Reporting

Alcohol, drugs still attractive to teens

 

Christine Hopkins

Feature Writing

 

Megan Alfieri
Maren Morsch

Opinion Writing

 

Helen Goot

Feature Writing

 

Dan Benson

Reviews/Entertainment

 

The Roxbury School district is proud of the journalistic efforts of our students.  “Exceptional writing and interviewing techniques are two great talents journalists need to be successful in today’s communication world,” says Mrs. Deborah Burleigh, Director of Community Relations.  Ms. Burleigh also believes, “there is great promise in the journalism career of these students. A student newspaper of this caliber offers a tremendous advantage to Roxbury High School students applying to any college or university journalism program!”