(Copyright 2002. The Bristol Press. All rights reserved.)
March 14, 2002
Ten Tattoo writers garner eight awards for journalism
By Jackie Majerus
SPRINGFIELD,
Mass. – Ten student writers for The
“They
did a great job,” said Professor Will Hughes, chair of the communications
department at the American International College in Springfield, which sponsored
the contest.
Hughes
said he liked the combined effort put forth by the teens in The
“That’s
never come up before, where there’s been team coverage,” said Hughes, who
said he wanted to recognize the group instead of singling out individuals. “I
thought it was appropriate to award the paper for that.”
The
The
teen writers who contributed to the award-winning entry were Bristol Eastern
juniors
Jordan,
who won two medals in addition to the special team award, said she enjoyed
working on the X Trials package. She concentrated on safety aspects of in-line
skating, skateboarding and trick biking.
“I’m
not really interested in sports so it seemed like the obvious thing to do,”
said Jordan, adding, “Everyone I talked to was really nice.”
Jordan
and her colleagues said they enjoyed working together on the X Trials coverage
and agreed that they’d like to tackle more group projects in the future.
“We
had more of an understanding of what everyone else was doing,” said Jordan.
“It
was a good team effort,” said Nguyen. “I don’t think we’ve ever worked
so well together in our lives.”
Nguyen,
who won a first-place medal and an honorable mention in addition to the team
award, said what he liked best about covering the X Trials was “talking to all
those famous bikers and skaters.”
“They
were really cool,” said Nguyen, who wrote several profiles on athletes.
Plonski,
who did her first work for The
“It
was fun,” said Plonski.
Greene
said the X Trials coverage was interesting because she didn’t know much about
the sports until she began writing about them. She liked learning about the
sports, Greene said, and gained “a new respect” for the athletes who
practice them.
“I
liked the fact that we were behind the scenes,” said Yosafi. He said he liked
meeting the athletes he sees on television and “seeing how they really act.”
Writers
for The
Hughes
said the contest garnered 2,700 entries. About 126 awards were presented.
Because
of the intense competition, Hughes said, “Even if you just got an honorable
mention, that’s pretty good.”
The
In
the winning feature story, Jordan wrote, “An intriguing new doo has taken the
school by storm. This hairdo is a perfect example of what a guy would look like
if he ran into a door at top speed: the frontal portion of the hair is molded
and shaped until it stands up on end.”
An
accompanying piece by Sarah Jordan, a University of Connecticut freshman who
graduated from Eastern in June, was also included in Nguyen’s winning award
entry.
Nguyen
and Sarah Jordan also shared an honorable mention in the reviews category for
their dueling takes on the original “Survivor” television show, which Nguyen
praised and Jordan trashed.
Lee,
who wrote in December about the impact of the death of a young skateboarder
practicing to compete in an ESPN event in Singapore, also won an honorable
mention in the news category.
Lee
said The
“There's
no preaching from adults about what's right and what's wrong,” she said in an
on-line interview Wednesday using instant messaging.
Two
One
of Keo’s cartoons addressed “American Taliban” John Walker Lindt. Keo said
he felt compelled to comment on the issue through drawing.
“It
was an issue that touched home,” said Keo. “As a citizen I must respond with
my reaction.”
The
During
weekly Wednesday night sessions at the paper, The
While
it helps to live in the Bristol area, teens from all over the world can also be
part of the group. For information, contact Majerus or Collins at (860)
523-9632.
During
the past eight years, The
The
prize-winning stories, cartoons and much more are featured on The
To see the award-winning work, check out these links:
Special award for X Trials coverage
News
Memo details school response to threats
Feature
Cartoons
Reviews
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