The Patriot and some of its staff received awards and recognition from the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA), the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA), and the International Quill and Scroll.

The Patriot was rated with five out of five marks of distinction from the NSPA. The Patriot also won the International First Place Award in the International Quill and Scroll News Media Evaluation.

Hanna LeBuhn, class of ‘15, is a finalist for the NSPA Multimedia Sports Story of the year. This is the first time that a JC student has ever been a finalist for any NSPA story of the year award.

LeBuhn told the story of Jenna Santoro, class of ‘15, and her recovery from tearing her ACL. In a unique approach to writing a story, LeBuhn created a prezi with audio explaining the pictures and videos to Santoro’s recovery.  

“I thought it was an interesting idea we could possibly use for other interviews in the future. I really wanted to go outside of the box and try and make what seemed like a straightforward interview of an injured athlete something more personal,” LeBuhn said.

LeBuhn was also a bit surprised that she was named a finalist: “It was pretty rewarding to hear. When we were entering nominations, I never really thought twice about it so I wasn’t expecting anything.”

Other staffers who won award include senior Eleanor Werneke, who won a Certificate of Merit for Sidebar Writing for her story, “Bel Air Protests Produce Minimal Turnout,”and Lauren Glase, class of ‘15, who won a Certificate of Merit for Typography for her headline design for the story, “Blend it Up.”

“The Patriot is the kind of place that not only allows you to leave your own mark, but if you let it, leaves a bigger mark on you,” LeBuhn said.

Pia Scotto is a Community Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.