Horizon staff attended the annual Adelphi Press Day and Quill Awards on Friday, Feb. 14. Students gathered to learn about various careers and positions in multimedia journalism, and Horizon took home four awards.
Missing Valentine’s Day at LHS may have made students miss out on festivities, such as the Italian Club’s Candygrams back at school; however, Adelphi students helped out by handing out free roses in the lower lobby before the welcome remarks.
The day began with keynote speaker Waldo Cabrera. Cabrera is the producer and founder of Islip.TV and the executive producer of the My Long Island TV news magazine. He explored new ways to utilize media, and he offered advice to students: “Be honest in your stories, and don’t fail your viewers.”
Following Cabrera’s address, the panel discussion began, where more speakers were brought to the stage: Julian Lim, Macy Egeland, Malika Burieva, and Adelphi professor Liza Burby. Focused on this year’s panel topic, “Visual Storytelling: The Rise of Video Journalism,” the panelists discussed various keys to success, such as adapting to the audience and ever-changing landscape, creating engaging stories and captivating content, and having true passion for the subject being reported. “Their discussion about video journalism this year was so eye-opening and made me realize how much the field is changing amidst the rise of social media,” Co-online Editor-in-Chief and senior Miranda Mangru commented.
Mangru won second place in “Best Arts Review” category for her article “LHS Brings Rydell High to Life in Production of Grease.” “I could hardly believe it when my name was called for this award. This is the first award I have received for my work with Horizon, and the feeling was so rewarding,” Mangru expressed. She takes pleasure in attending LHS Drama Club’s productions, such as Grease, as she admires the work her peers put into the productions. Since her freshman year, she has been to every school musical with her brothers. Mangru typically writes news and features articles, but when no writers claimed covering Grease, she took the opportunity to write for the paper’s arts and entertainment (A&E) section. “Little did I expect that this would be the article that won me my first award,” Mangru reflected.
Features Managing Editor and senior Emily Franklin won an honorable mention for “Best News Article.” Franklin has been on Horizon’s staff since her freshman year, which has helped her in more areas of her life than just journalism: “Being a member of the staff has helped me evolve my writing and public speaking skills. Conducting interviews has helped strengthen my confidence, and working with other staff members to complete an edition has taught me invaluable teamwork skills.” As for what inspired her to write her award-winning article, “Gianna Longo Rewarded a Spot as Co-host of The Roger Rees Awards,” Franklin explained that Longo “is one of the most determined, hard-working people I know, and I was eager to write an article about one of the biggest accomplishments of her life.”
Longo, Co-print Editor-in-Chief and a senior, won an honorable mention for “Most Outstanding Reporter,” which has been a goal for the past four years. “When I was a freshman and I saw that Julia Swerdin received this award, I was like, ‘Wow, I want to get that one day,’” Longo reminisced. Being immersed and involved in the music community at LHS as Tri-M president, drum major, Show Choir choreographer, and more, Longo has an eye for talented students who deserve a spotlight. “It is important that everyone in the school is recognized, and being a part of these other groups inspired me to write about them. I love how reporting has given me an opportunity to tell other people’s stories. There [are] so many people in our school community that deserve to be recognized. If I could, I would write an article for every single musician, every athlete, because everyone is doing something so special, and if I can hopefully get a couple articles out there that people will read, then that’s what makes reporting worth it,” Longo commented.
Horizon advisor and English teacher Jessica Sanders was beyond proud of the trio: “The individual winners this year–Gianna Longo, Miranda Mangru, and Emily Franklin–were so deserving of their awards. Each of them has dedicated so much time and effort to the paper since her freshman year. I love to see their hard work, talent, and dedication rewarded in such a way.”
The entire staff bowed their heads and crossed their fingers while waiting for the announcement of which school would win “Most Outstanding Newspaper (Printed or Online).” After snagging second place last year, many staff members leaped out of their chairs when Horizon’s name was announced for first place.
Franklin was elated to hear this news: “Winning [Most Outstanding Newspaper] reflects the dedication of the staff as a whole, and how our teamwork creates a respected publication.” This club holds a special place in many staff members’ hearts. “So much heart and energy is poured into our club, especially into putting together our print editions,” Mangru explained. Sanders expressed pride and gratitude for her students: “I am very happy to see all students who work so hard on Horizon be recognized in this competition with a first-place win in the ‘[Most Outstanding] Newspaper’ category.”
Fifteen students were allotted places per school at Press Day, and Horizon filled every spot. Students who attended Press Day in the past are usually eager to come again. The community between writers is evident at Press Day, as Franklin explained: “My favorite part of Press Day is seeing all the student journalists come together to share their love for journalism. It is inspiring and interesting to see all the different newspapers, articles, and layouts.” “Each year, I really look forward to this event. I find that I learn so much from the panelists who are invited to discuss current trends in journalism. I like that students get to hear experiences from journalists who have a great deal of experience in the field. I always look forward to the Quill Awards at the end of the day. It is a pleasure to see students acknowledged for all they do for Horizon,” Sanders concluded.
