CENTERBURG – Days of rest rarely come for the Centerburg Local School District school newspaper staff.
They all came to school on what was normally an online learning day to get the special senior edition to print on the day that the staff interviewed with the Mount Vernon News.
The "Trojan Crier" was recently recognized by the Ohio Scholastic Media Association (OSMA) as the All-Ohio School Newspaper for the 2020-21 School Year, a recognition that "Crier" advisor and high school English teacher Karen Allen said is well-deserved for the students who worked so hard to create something great out of a small extracurricular program.
"They have been so attentive to detail and have worked very hard all year," Allen said. "I'm especially proud of this particular group because it's the smallest I've ever had."
In Allen's 18 years of being the newspaper advisor, she has had as many as 18 students on the paper's staff, with an average of 10 to 12. This year, with only six staff members, everyone in the "Crier" newsroom has had to pull some extra weight.
This year, the Crier garnered three awards in the Superior category, 15 in Excellence and seven Honorable Mentions. While many similar school publications switched to online only during the COVID-19 pandemic, the "Crier" staff was determined to keep churning out a print product.
In the OSMA competition, a student newspaper is judged for excellence in writing, editing, photography, art, graphic design and leadership.
Victoria Nash, a senior and editor-in-chief for the paper, said receiving the awards was both exciting and affirming after a difficult year.
"I know that my staff works very hard, and I'm excited for them to be able to have the recognition that I think they deserve," she said.
Working for the paper has reaffirmed Nash's love for writing and communications, and it has helped her to manage her dyslexia. As an exiting senior, she will miss bonding with her staff over a hectic layout day and the other ebbs and flows of the news business.
"There's many of us that I don't think would have met outside of journalism class, and so that camaraderie is definitely something I'm going to miss," she said.
Nash looks forward to majoring in English and music after high school.
Laura Lemke, a senior and co-media editor and staff writer for the "Crier", also saw her love for writing fall in line with working at the paper. She was excited to see all of the extra hours — including the early mornings and the snow-day sacrifices — spent to make the "Crier" a great publication pay off.
"It was amazing to see that tangible recognition," she said, noting also that working for the paper has 1,000% impacted her in a positive way. "I met great friends, I made a support system, improved my writing skills and learned better communication too."
Lemke added that a small team makes for tight friendships, and she will miss the bonds that she shared over writing headlines and leading broadcasts.
"I'm just so glad we have something to show off for our work," she said.
Lemke is committed to Kent State next year, where she will study journalism and may focus on film and broadcasting. She received a scholarship from the OSMA competition.
The newspaper program is invaluable both for students with a journalism interest and those who just want to refine their real-world skills.
"The students are producing a real paper with advertising that is sold to the community and to the students, so it's a business experience as well as everything that goes into creating a paper," Allen said. "The fact that we are a smaller school I think gives students even more benefits, because they have to wear all the hats."
