Buc Bulletin Receives 15 Awards At Empire State School Press Association Ceremony

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OSWEGO, NY – It was a “gold” medal day for the Oswego High School Buccaneer Bulletin as the scholastic publication received not only gold, but silver, bronze and honorable mention at the 2008 Empire State School Press Association Awards ceremony.

The awards were presented at the Newhouse School at Syracuse University as once again the Buc Bulletin was recognized for being an outstanding high school newspaper with the presentation of the “All New York Gold Overall Newspaper Award.”

Sherri Taylor, director of the Empire State School Press Association, said, “The Buccaneer Bulletin has always done well in the ESSPA competition. It is definitely one of the strongest, best produced publications in the state. A lot of that comes from having great teachers like Mike McCrobie and Bill Reeser who really care and maintain the quality from year to year. Oswego is lucky to have such fine teachers.”

Continuing she said, “It also speaks to the integrity of the Oswego schools that this program is given the freedom and resources it needs to continue maintaining such excellence among student newspapers in New York. It is neither ordinary nor easy to do so.”

Oswego High School Executive Principal Pete Myles said, “For years, The Buccaneer Bulletin has been an award winning publication. It is nice to see that tradition continue through the hard work and dedication of both the students and advisors who spend numerous hours preparing each edition of the newspaper. I am very proud to be associated with a high school that continues to offer an award winning program such as this.”

Fred Maxon received two gold medals for Editorial Writing and his Entertainment Review portfolio.

Taylor noted, “Fred Maxon is just a fine young man. He attended our summer journalism workshop this past summer at Newhouse, and he was outstanding. I expect he will have even more success this year in his journalistic pursuits.”

The other Oswego gold was presented to Brian Richmond for his participation in the on-site writing contest.

Kevin Kearns earned several honors including “silver” for his Sports Columnist portfolio.

Oswego earned a half dozen “bronze” awards including Katie DiVita received two awards for news stories. She wrote “Foreign Language Option at OHS Limited” and “Study Halls.”

Sophie Rosenbaum was cited for the in-depth coverage of “Bridging History” while Morganne Atutis earned a bronze for her Photography portfolio.

Jack Carmody was recognized with a “bronze” for his “Columnist” portfolio.

Kearns also received a bronze for a sport feature entitled “Artificial Turf at Joe Wilber Field?”

The honorable mention awards were presented to Michaela Frost for her “Student Artist” photography and Carmody for the feature story “Teacher, Student Ready to Serve Country.” Kearns received two honorable mentions for a feature story “Cheating Scandal – Could it Happen Here?” and for sports news “Concussion Testing Program Implemented.”

Acting Superintendent of Schools Bill Crist was quite proud of the accomplishments of the OHS students.

He said, “The Buc Bulletin continues to please its monthly readership and those judging its merits in the print media world as the Empire State School Press Association. As the Oswego High School’s Student Voice, the Buc Bulletin represents the objective reporting and student editorials that any school would be proud self-proclaimed as representing our school community as a vehicle to inform, educate, and entertain the student body. I applaud the student journalists and staff along with their faculty advisors for the great work they accomplish. This is one other shining star in the Oswego City School District that deserves recognition and I congratulate the Buc Bulletin’s exceptional efforts toward excellence.”

McCrobie, the advisor of the Buc Bulletin for the past 27 years, understands the importance of a quality scholastic publication.

He said, “In an era when electives at many schools are on the chopping block, we are pleased that our student journalists still have a forum in which to express their views. We’re proud of their efforts both individually and collectively as a staff.”

Traditionally the Buc Bulletin is an award winning publication.

Once again the staff has maintained the quality and standards that have been set by those students who have come before them.

The staff has continued to keep the newspaper among the elite in high school publications. missing or outdated ad config

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