Stamford's Westhill HS Student Newspaper Wins Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Medal

The Westword and The Westword Online, Westhill High School’s student newspaper and hybrid on-line paper, together was recently awarded a Gold Medal by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s Annual High School Journalism Review for the 2014 school year.

In early December, Stamford High School was also awarded a Gold Medal for its online publication.

The Westword was critiqued by judges and received points in three categories: essentials, which includes reviewing layout, contact information, credits, and coverage; verbal, which includes good reporting, use of quotes, journalistic writing, grammar, and punctuation; and visual, which includes the use of images, art, and layout. The Westword earned 942 points out of a possible 1,000 from Columbia, earning all-Columbian Honors in two of the three categories for earning a score higher than 95% of the possible points.

“The Westword staff, which comprises nearly 100 students, puts in long hours to provide the most comprehensive and relevant coverage of the events that affect our community,” said Westhill High School English Teacher and The Westword Advisor David Wooley. “They provide an invaluable public service and it is good to see them recognized and awarded for their hard work and commitment to excellence.”

As part of the award process, the school receives a formal critique of its publication, which provides specific feedback and suggestions for improvement to consider going forward. In the summary of the critique, the judges offered the following message to the staff: “The Westword is outstanding in the quality of all of its reporting; this staff is not afraid to tackle controversial issues and they always do so with maturity and thorough research. Your publication frequency is amazing because quality content is maintained throughout each issue and on the website. The diversity in topics ensures that there is something for every reader.”

The Westword has a history of winning CSPA awards, and has earned commendations from the American Scholastic Press Association. Though the majority of the work done on The Westword is completed after school hours, many of the articles are written by students in Westhill’s Journalism and Communications classes.

“The Westword’s mission, ‘the test of good journalism is the measure of its public service,’ is something that we truly strive for at all times,” said Lauren Schechter, Editor-in-chief (print). “To be commended for that effort only encourages us to push ourselves further.”

The Westword Faculty Advisors: Michael von Wahlde and David Wooley

20013-14 Editors-in-chief: Mackenzie Eisen (print) and Claire Howlett (online)

2014-15 Editors-in-chief: Lauren Schechter (print) and Julia Zimmerman (online)