Pennsylvania School Press Association is proud to announce that Conestoga High School senior Avery Maslowsky of Berwyn, PA is the 2019 Pennsylvania Student Journalist of the Year (SJOY). Regan Gross of Northeastern High School in Manchester, PA is the 2019 Pennsylvania SJOY Runner-Up.
Maslowsky is a four-year staff member of The Spoke, Conestoga High School’s monthly news publication, and Good Morning Stoga, Conestoga’s daily morning show. This year, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of The Spoke for 2018-2019 and Head News Anchor for TETV (Tredyffrin-Easttown Television Station). She previously served as Head Sports Editor, Head Business Manager, Anchor, and Producer for her school’s journalism staffs.
In her recommendation letter, adviser Susan Gregory emphasized how consistently Maslowsky “showed up” to lead and support her staff teams, especially in challenging situations. “Avery is a go-getter, exhibiting stamina in pursuing and reporting stories and consistently meeting deadlines,” Gregory wrote. “I’ve been proud to watch, over the last few years, how Avery handles discomfort.”
All SJOY candidates assemble digital portfolios that include examples from the eleven categories of the Journalism Education Association’s curriculum. Judges provide specific feedback on candidate’s portfolios. One judge, upon review of Maslowsky’s extensive portfolio, simply stated, “I want to be on your staff. That pretty much says it all.”
Maslowsky’s portfolio moves on to national SJOY consideration, where her work will be judged alongside 2019 SJOY winners from other states. The national winner and runners-up will be announced at the National High School Journalism Convention in Anaheim, CA, April 25-27.
Maslowsky is a four-year staff member of The Spoke, Conestoga High School’s monthly news publication, and Good Morning Stoga, Conestoga’s daily morning show. This year, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of The Spoke for 2018-2019 and Head News Anchor for TETV (Tredyffrin-Easttown Television Station). She previously served as Head Sports Editor, Head Business Manager, Anchor, and Producer for her school’s journalism staffs.
In her recommendation letter, adviser Susan Gregory emphasized how consistently Maslowsky “showed up” to lead and support her staff teams, especially in challenging situations. “Avery is a go-getter, exhibiting stamina in pursuing and reporting stories and consistently meeting deadlines,” Gregory wrote. “I’ve been proud to watch, over the last few years, how Avery handles discomfort.”
All SJOY candidates assemble digital portfolios that include examples from the eleven categories of the Journalism Education Association’s curriculum. Judges provide specific feedback on candidate’s portfolios. One judge, upon review of Maslowsky’s extensive portfolio, simply stated, “I want to be on your staff. That pretty much says it all.”
Maslowsky’s portfolio moves on to national SJOY consideration, where her work will be judged alongside 2019 SJOY winners from other states. The national winner and runners-up will be announced at the National High School Journalism Convention in Anaheim, CA, April 25-27.
Runner-up Regan Gross has worked on Northeastern High School’s award-winning Daedalus yearbook for the last three years, and, according to judges, has been "a positive influence on [the] staff and impacted the book in countless, wonderful ways."
“The phrase I hear most often from Regan is ‘What else can I do, Miss Brown?’” adviser Beth Ann Brown wrote in her recommendation letter for Gross. “This statement epitomizes the work ethic and attitutude he has exhibited over the past three years.”
The Pennsylvania Student Journalist of the Year award was named for Dr. Jane Blystone in 2011, and includes a $500 scholarship for the winner, as well as $100 awards for runners-up. State scholarship awards are sponsored by Pennsylvania School Press Association. Competition standards and rubrics align with the Journalism Education Association's Student Journalist of the Year competition. The annual competition is open to senior student journalists.
Please visit the JEA SJOY page for information about preparing a portfolio. Sample portfolios from last year's state winners are posted on JEA's site. Portfolios for the 2020 Student Journalist of the Year will be due in early spring 2020.
For more information about Pennsylvania School
Press Association, please contact organization president Paul Fantaski at [email protected].
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