MCC’s student newspaper, The Bay Window, won first place in the General Excellence, Overall Newspaper Design, and Online Newspaper categories, while its writers, editors and designers captured several individual honors from the Michigan Community College Press Association (MCCPA).
The awards were presented at the MCCPA’s annual conference which was held on April 9 at Central Michigan University. The Bay Window took the trio of top honors in Division II, which encompasses newspapers at campuses with enrollments under 10,000 students.
“We were ecstatic,” said Sue Martens, the newspaper’s advisor. “I figured we’d win some awards, but this is just amazing, especially the three big ones. We were competing against some schools three times our size, which makes the wins especially sweet.”
Zach Thomas edits the award-winning online version of The Bay Window. The MCC students receiving individual awards in Divisions I and II were:
- Amy Huber (editor): 1st place – Humor Column; 3rd place – Student Journalist of the Year; 3rd place – Editorial; 3rd Place – In-Depth Reporting; Honorable Mention – Serious Column; Honorable Mention – Headline Writing.
- Rosie Balberde (graphic designer): 1st Place – Inside Page Design; 1st Place – Editorial Cartoon (with Gary Simmons)
- Gary Simmons (staff writer): 1st place – Editorial Cartoon (with Rosie Balberde)
- Andrew Jennings (staff writer): 2nd Place – Sports News Story
- Abigail-Lauren Meredith (news editor): Honorable Mention – In-Depth Reporting
- Trevor Swanson (staff writer): Honorable Mention – Sports News Story