In the locker room, senior Trevor Kernes drops papers for junior Andrew Visconti for one of his photography assignments. "I took this photo for an advertising assigment, I never thought it would actually go into the yearbook, " Visconti said. Photo by Andrew Visconti, (Ward Melville High School Setauket, N.Y.; Courtney Weisman, adviser)

CLICK HERE for results in
the fall 2009 Write-off competitions

First Amendment Press Freedom Award

The deadline for this award celebrating freedoms schoolwide is Dec. 1. CLICK HERE for more information.

2009 Aspiring Young Journalist

CLICK HERE to learn more about the award.

Allison Siegel, Nativity School, Hollywood, Fla. (Lynne Moore, adviser)

Allison was a reporter for The Knightly News, the newsmagazine for Nativity School. Among notable individuals she interviewed were Ralph Nadar about his book The Seventeen Traditions, Misty May-Treanor about Olympic beach volleyball and Ammon Shea about his book Reading the OED: One Man, One year, 21,730 Pages. Allison also earned a press credential to cover Miami Fashion Week this year.

Her principal Elena Ortiz called her “one-of-a-kind.”

Her adviser Lynne Moore said Allison had a passion for learning.

Allison found herself in writing. In her letter of introduction, Allison said, “Now, if you ask me what I want to do for a living, I’ll look up from the notebook I’m writing in, smile, and just say the one word that means the world to me – writer. I don’t want to be the next J.K. Rowling of Harry Potter fame, or Stephanie Meyer, author of Twilight. Don’t misunderstand, they are both amazing writers. I just want to be myself.”

Runners Up Aspiring Young Journalist

Anjali Menon Krishnamachar, Middlesex Middle School, Darien, Conn. (Tim Sorenson and Katherine Boulier, advisers)

Anjali was a reporter for The Dragon the newspaper of Middlesex Middle School.

Her adviser Tim Sorensen said, “Anjali is the type of student that all middle schoolers should aspire to be. The greatest part of this phenomenal young lady is that she is an equally amazing young woman as she is a talented writer.”

Katherine Boulier, co-adviser of The Dragon said, “In terms of Anjali’s writing capabilities, you will find that she has a very distinctive voice, something not often achieved by such a young writer.”

Anjali saw herself as an international journalist, combining her love of language with her desire to travel. She felt it would be the perfect career choice, giving her a way to see the world and at the same time report news and develop her writing skills.

Chloe Davis, Maize South Middle School, Wichita, Kan. (Mary Patrick, adviser)

Chloe Davis was editor-in-chief of the Eagle yearbook at Maize South Middle School in Wichita, Kan.

Kristina Nelson, newspaper adviser at Maize South Middle School, said, “Whether it is a sporting event, an assembly or a unique classroom moment, I often see Chloe nearby with a camera in hand. And, although I believe photography and design are her great loves, I know that her writing ability only goes to further her talent.”

Eagle yearbook adviser Mary Patrick said, “Chloe is a leader among leaders on my staff. As editor-in-chief she sees that everything and everyone is running smoothly. She supervises theme and all theme development and mentors well to our new staff members.”

Chloe said, “In my personal opinion, the yearbook is one of the most exciting elements of the whole year. It’s your year, the one and only year that you will have in that grade, and it’s all bound into one book.”