Zachary Shaw
Copy Editor
At an awards ceremony in Utica, Illinois, on April 10, the Lewis and Clark Community College Student Newspaper, The Bridge, placed in four categories, including: best website, headline writing, editorial writer of the year, and general excellence.
The Illinois Community College Journalism Association (ICCJA), which annually holds both a fall and spring conference, recognizes student newspapers and staff members who create and publish exceptional content for their respective schools.
With 18 community colleges throughout the state submitting works in more than 20 different categories, leaving with four awards of their own was a priceless moment for The Bridge.
“I am very proud of the awards and recognition we received at this year’s ICCJA conference. We had a lot of good entries, so I felt confident we would walk away with something, but the fact that many of the schools we were up against actually have journalism programs is something our students, who come from various majors, should feel especially proud of,” The Bridge Adviser Laura Inlow said.
The L&C newspaper is made up of a small staff, but has several members with past experience. Editor-in-Chief Athena Whitty (since the spring of 2014) is in her last semester before graduating, but has made overhauls to the newspaper that have paid dividends in the form of ICCJA awards, The Bridge’s first awards since 2012.
“The staff’s hard work paid off at ICCJA. While I’m sad that this is my last semester at The Bridge, it’s great to leave on a high note and bring home several awards. It has been very rewarding to work with such a phenomenal group of students; I will miss every single one of them,” Whitty said.
Associate Editor Darick Earney placed second in the headline writing category for his title: “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to STL Comic Con.”
“I generally write my own headlines for my own amusement. I don’t expect anyone else to enjoy them except for me. So the fact that the ICCJA awarded me for an original headline made me feel as if my need to clown around from time to time is a good thing,” Earney said.
Earney will be returning next semester fulfilling the same role, to aid the 2015-2016 Editor-in-Chief Hannah Auston, current layout editor. Returning Bridge members also include, Web Editor Johan Bester, who called the first place award for web design a total group effort of the staff.
“It is very satisfying to be rewarded for all our efforts. All the other awards the team brought home underscore the fact that this was a team effort.,” Bester said. “It’s not just one bright spark that won ‘the mother-lode’; we have good chemistry as a team and that carried the day. The work I do just showcases the talent of the team. I’m honored to be part of this, and I say let’s continue with the good work for the next year!”
The Bridge is looking to build upon this year’s success; to find out more about the L&C newspaper or interest in joining the staff for this coming fall visit www.lc.edu/thebridge or the office located in Caldwell 1311/1315.
Contact Zach at zshaw@lc.edu
