TATTOO WINS STATE SPJ AWARD

NORTH HAVEN, CONN. - For the first time, high
school journalists have claimed a first place
award in the Connecticut Society of Professional
Journalists' annual contest.

The Tattoo, a student publication of The Bristol
Press, won in the arts and entertainment
category for a travel page written by St. Paul
Catholic High School sophomore Courtney
Pendleton and Bristol Eastern High School senior
Brian LaRue.

LaRue wrote about a school trip to France while
Pendleton detailed a spring trip to Italy.

"It has well written accounts of travels in
Italy and France from a student perspective,"
the judges wrote. "Good photos too."

The Tattoo's advisors, Press reporters Jackie
Majerus and Steve Collins, garnered an honorable
mention in the contest for headline writing.

The Bristol Press captured eight first place
awards in the SPJ contest, counting the one
nabbed by The Tattoo.

Including second place finishes and honorable
mentions, the Press racked up 13 awards in all.

The annual contest is open to all journalists
whose work appears in Connecticut news media.

Mike Orazzi, chief photographer at the Press,
grabbed the most awards, taking two first place
and two second place photos.

Orazzi's feature photo, "Loyal leap" and a
sports photo called "Overtime Goal" won first
place. He took second place for a news photo
called "Reaching out" and a sports photo called
"Take down."

Of "Overtime Goal," a shot of a soccer player
jumping in the air after a game-winning goal,
the judges wrote, "The picture tells the whole
story."

Staff writer Loretta Waldman won a first place
award for general reporting for her story,
"Superintendent gets windfall."

Waldman shared a first-place award for a general
reporting series with former Press reporter
James O'Keefe for their stories on the fraud and
embezzlement at Bristol Hospital.

Their work was "a complex hospital fraud story
involving long term employees clearly and
thoroughly explained," the judges wrote.

Staff writer Majerus snagged a first place award
for business reporting, her fifth consecutive
win in that category.

She won for a story she wrote about the rivalry
between Lake Compounce and Riverside amusement
parks.

In the arts and entertainment category, Tattoo
writers Brian LaRue and Courtney Pendleton won
first place for a travel page they penned.

Press Editor Bill Sarno took a first place award
for headline writing. He also took a second
place for an editorial.


Correspondent Dave Lepore took a first place
award for a feature series he wrote called
"Local business philanthropy."

Collins snagged an honorable mention for an
investigative piece he wrote about Congresswoman
Nancy Johnson sharing her campaign warchest with
political friends.

This is the second year the student writers from
The Tattoo have been honored by the professional
journalism group. Last year, nine writers from
the group were recognized for an in-depth
project they did on teen suicide.

The awards to The Tattoo are the only ones ever
awarded in the contest to high school students.
The student page appears in the Press on
occasional Mondays.

Last year, the Press won seven first place
awards in the statewide contest.