The Geneva magazine staff won a Gold Crown Award through the Columbia Scholastic Press Association for its work on the 2020-21 Geneva Quarterly magazine. This is the sixth year in a row that the staff earned the prestigious national honor and distinction of a CSPA Crown Award in high school journalism.
There were 817 publications from across the United States submitted for Crown Award consideration, with only 93 publications receiving the level of a Gold Crown and only four earning this distinction in the General Magazine category. The senior editors, along with their adviser Christina Hammock, received the award last week from the CSPA Conference at Columbia University in New York City which was held virtually. The staff has been named a Gold Crown Award Winner five times between 2018-2022 and earned the Silver Crown Award for the 2016-17 school year.
Founded in 1925, the CSPA unites student editors and the faculty advisers working with them to produce student newspapers, magazines, yearbooks and online media. The CSPA is owned and operated by Columbia University. The Gold Crown Award is the highest honor given in the various categories.
“Student journalists work hard year-round to produce their publications and winning the Gold Crown is the highest award we could receive,” Geneva Quarterly adviser Christina Hammock said. “I am so proud of the entire staff for their perseverance and determination during a difficult year in producing such an amazing magazine.”
Staff members who contributed to the 2020-21 magazine were Alexa Georgelos, Jackson Young, Pauline Rahal, Sydney Dennis, Ainsley Plesko, Nicolas Siller, Lauren Abell, Sydney Griffey, Sophia Baldwin, Hailey Kirchner, Kate Evans, Garrett Loflin, Mattie Sue Arnold, Sarah Coultress, Sophia Dacy, Hannah Pratt, Abby Bower, Gwyn Lewellyn, Kate Travis, Hayle Heinen, Ava Ayers, Claire Coultress, Guy Kohler and Spencer Yarbrough.
In addition, CSPA Gold Circle Awards are offered to recognize superior work by student journalists usually as individuals but sometimes as an entire staff working with either print or online media. These media are published in schools or colleges throughout the United States and in overseas schools following an American plan of education.
All CSPA Gold Circle Awards are listed below for both magazine and yearbook.
Magazine staff members of the Geneva Quarterly, Volume 8 who received Gold Circle Awards:
- Non-Fiction Article:
- Alexa Georgelos, “It’s Not Their First Rodeo,” Certificate of Merit
- Non-Fiction Interview:
- Mattie Sue Arnold, Kate Evans, Kate Travis, “Heroes Go Unseen,” First Place
- Sophia Baldwin, “Alum Faces Conservation Crisis,” Second Place
- Non-Fiction Column:
- Mattie Sue Arnold, Nicolas Siller, Abby Bower, “What’s in Your Fanny Pack?,” Certificate of Merit
- Abby Bower, Alexa Georgelos, Ainsley Plesko, “You Keep Telling Yourself That,” Certificate of Merit
- Headline Writing:
- Staff, Third Place
- Briefs Writing:
- Gwyn Lewellyn, Ainsley Plesko, First Place
- Ava Ayers, Hailey Kirchner, Second Place
- Sidebar Writing:
- Claire Coultress, Sophia Dacy, Alexa Georgelos, “Signing onto the Future,” First Place
- Alternative Story Form:
- Mattie Sue Arnold, Hayley Heinen, Pauline Rahal, “Exploring New Heights,” First Place
- Cover Design for General or Feature Magazine:
- Alexa Georgelos, Gwyn Lewellyn, Nicolas Siller, Third Place
- Table of Contents Page:
- Alexa Georgelos, Certificate of Merit
- Single Illustration: Computer Generated:
- Sophia Baldwin, “A World Above,” Second Place
- Portfolio Illustration:
- Sophia Baldwin, Third Place
- Photo Illustration:
- Alexa Georgelos, Hayle Heinen, Nicolas Siller, “Dynomite Goes Boom,” Third Place
- Alexa Georgelos, “Trust the Process,” Certificate of Merit
- Design Portfolio:
- Sophia Baldwin, Second Place
- Alexa Georgelos, Certificate of Merit
Staff members of the Geneva yearbook called The Boardwalk, Volume 15 “Spirit” who earned Gold Circle Awards:
- Academic Photo:
- Alexa Elizondo, “In the Spotlight,” Certificate of Merit
- Photo Illustration: Single Image:
- Juliana Flores, “Dom Photo,” First Place
- Division Page Design:
- Emma Grace Erfurt, Riley Tippit, Alethea Ward, Certificate of Merit
- Feature Presentation:
- Kaitlyn Cates, Avery Eggerss, Abby Russell, “Show Your Spirit,” Second Place
- People Spreads without mug photos: multi-page spread:
- Staff, “Senior Section,” Certificate of Merit
- Organization Spreads: multi-page spreads:
- Bailey Lyons, Alex Havranek, Lilly Kaiser, “Group Pages,” Certificate of Merit