Horizon staff members attended Adelphi University’s annual Student Press Day and Quill Awards ceremony on Friday, Feb. 13. The event included a keynote speaker along with a panel discussion by professors and journalists covering how journalists can navigate the field in the world of artificial intelligence (AI). Students were also given a tour of the Adelphi campus and provided with the opportunity to attend focused workshops throughout the day.
Following lunch, the Quill Awards were the last event of the day. For individual awards, senior and Managing Editor Daniella Inserra took home first place for Best Sports Article for her story titled “Athlete Spotlight: Mason Cofer.” Additionally, senior and Editor-in-Chief Sophia Woods took home first place for Best Arts Review for her article titled “LHS Takes a Chance on Mamma Mia!” Woods shared, “My first feeling [on winning] was complete shock. I did not think at all, compared to the other schools and their story ideas, that I was even going to place. The way other schools talked about their paper was very professional, and I really didn’t think when they saw my article they were going to choose it for first place.”
The entire Horizon staff also took home awards including second place for Best Overall Newspaper (Print), and third place for Best Overall Layout. English teacher and Horizon advisor Jessica Sanders shared her thoughts on Horizon’s accomplishments: “I was so proud of the Horizon staff—from the individual winners, to the team as a whole–for their big wins this year at Adelphi’s Quill Awards. Placing in any of these highly-selective categories is no easy task, and the competition just keeps getting tougher each year.”
The day began when students arrived at LHS at 7:30 AM. With bagels in hand, students boarded the bus for Garden City. After arriving at Adelphi, students grabbed their name tags, settled into their seats, and waited for the keynote speaker to begin the event. This year’s keynote speaker was Joye Brown, a columnist from Newsday. Brown discussed her extensive career as a journalist and how advanced to her current position. Brown later opened the floor to questions and discussed topics like AI and journalistic skills that students could apply to their future articles.
Each year, Adelphi Press Day holds a panel discussion focused on an issue facing journalists today. This year’s discussion was titled, “AI and Journalism: Redefining the Future of News.” The panel was moderated by Adelphi Adjunct Professor Liza N. Burby, also an award-winning journalist who has been published in numerous publications. She was also the faculty advisor to the Adelphi University student newspaper, The Delphian. The panel discussed many topics including AI in the newsroom, social media and algorithms, and how AI will shape future jobs in journalism. Junior and Editor-in-Chief Delia Kirkpatrick said, “I thought the panel offered a new perspective on how to use AI in journalism. I also really liked the Q&A style of it, which allowed for a great discussion.”
After the panel discussion, students were given the opportunity to attend two workshops and hear from professionals, students, and/or Adelphi professors. The workshops covered many topics from “How to Find Story Ideas and Sources” to “Entrepreneurships and the Arts.” Students gained new insight into techniques in journalism, and steps on how to pursue a career in media.
After the workshops, students went on a campus tour and indulged in a lunch provided by Adelphi. To conclude the event, the Quill Awards took place. The students returned to LHS with their awards and new journalistic skills and insight to keep with them for years to come. Sanders concluded, “I look forward to this day each year, especially the Quill Awards because I love to see Horizon students acknowledged in such a special and significant way for their talent and dedication. This competition also inspires students to continue to work hard and produce great content in order to stay ahead of the curve.”
