The Empire State School Press Association (ESSPA) presented 49 awards to the Fredonia High School newspaper, The Spectator, at their annual conference at Syracuse University in late October.

The staff received 13 gold, 13 silver, 14 bronze and nine honorable mentions.

This includes a Gold All New York rating and two gold awards for service to school for issues published during the 2018-2019 school year.

“It is an honor to win any awards at ESSPA’s conference, but 49 is truly amazing. This was beyond our expectations, but more than 50 students worked on the paper, and their teamwork and high standards were obvious with each issue they created,” co-adviser Lisa Reinhardt said. She and Dadie Sedota are co-advisers of the award-winning paper.

Above, Fredonia High School Spectator editors Dominic Gullo, Samantha Tabone, Adrianna Pucci, Tess Corell, Alex Rush, Emily Brown, Victoria Hennessey and Oliver Madariaga. At top, are editors Emily Smith and Lauren Marshall.

The Spectator is published six times per year in magazine format for students.

A gold plaque is given for the top award in the state in each category, while a silver is equivalent to a second place. A bronze award equals the third place ranking, while an honorable mention is awarded to work that is also commendable.

The editorial board of the paper is responsible for the content in each issue, working as a team.

“I am proud of everyone who won awards. We all work hard throughout the year, and this is a nice way to be recognized for that,” editor Victoria Hennessey said.

According to Sedota, the service to school awards recognized staff coverage of the school’s start time and hiring of a safety officer. Students who contributed to the service to school gold awards include: Adrianna Pucci, Meredith Przybycien, Marcus Seastedt, Mackenzie Quinn and the editorial board.

“The Spectator” was also named the best newspaper in New York State at the New York Press Association conference in April.

The following awards were announced in Syracuse: ¯ Gold – Editorial Writing – editorial board; In-Depth Coverage – Emily Smith; Picture Story Layout – Victoria Hennessey; Photographer – Victoria Hennessey; Feature Photo – Alexis Schroeder; Feature Photo – Marcus Seastedt; Sports Columnist – Joey Gullo; Personality/Interview Story – Samantha Militello; Sports News – Ian Clement; Sports Feature – Mackenzie Quinn

¯ Silver – Sports Feature – Alexis Schroeder; Sports News – Gabe Persch; Sports News – Emily Brown; Feature Photo – Hannah Snyder; Personality/Interview Story – Marcus Seastedt; Feature Photo – Jake Davis; Photographer – Jamison Horch; Photographer – Alexis Schroeder; Picture Story Layout – Bryson Pacos; In-Depth Coverage – Lindsay Lotter; In-Depth Coverage – Megan Foley; Editorial Writing – editorial board; Sports Photo – Jamison Horch.

¯ Bronze – Sports News – Tyler Putney; Sports Columnist – Jamison Horch; Sports Photo – Marcus Seastedt; Sports Photo – Jamison Horch; Feature Photo – Grace Mroczka; Editorial Writing – editorial board; Photographer – Grace Mroczka; Photographer – Marcus Seastedt; Editorial Cartoon portfolio – Anna Schroeder; Editorial Page – editorial board; Feature Story – Adrianna Pucci; Feature Layout – Emily Smith and Anna Schroeder; News Photo – Dyress Batten; News Photo – Victoria Hennessey.

¯ Honorable mention – Feature Layout – Adrianna Pucci and Anna Schroeder; Feature Photo – Bryson Pacos; Feature Story – Audrey Taylor; Sports Photo – Grace Mroczka; Sports Photo – Victoria Hennessey; Sports Photo – Marcus Seastedt; Personality/Interview Story – Grace Mroczka; Sports Feature -Emily Brown; Sports Feature – Ally Walton-Bald.