Submitted Photo The Spectator, Fredonia High School’s student newspaper, earned 11 statewide awards at a recent competition. Pictured are members of the staff with the awards the paper received.

Another year, another round of awards for the Spectator. Fredonia’s student-run high school newspaper was recognized yet again as one of the top publications of its kind throughout the state.

The Spectator claimed 11 awards in the 2024-2025 Empire State School Press Association (ESSPA) competition, hosted by the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. ESSPA Director Christina Kinsey recently made the drive from Syracuse to Fredonia to present the students with their awards.

“I think that the work that is being done here is amazing. We’re happy to be able to come and support the students, and celebrate them for another great year,” Kinsey said.

Among the 11 awards Kinsey brought to Fredonia was the Gold Award for Best Overall Newspaper. Kinsey commended Fredonia for being student-centered in its mission, not only in the process of crafting the paper itself, but also in the stories it highlights.

“Their voices are being heard. They are able to talk about the issues that they are facing currently as students, and talk about the stories that are important to them now,” Kinsey said.

The Spectator also won the Service to School Gold Award, meaning it was the best program in the state in terms of an impact on the local community.

The Spectator staff of roughly 75 students is led by Fredonia teacher Lisa Reinhardt, with the help of Dadie Sedota. The Spectator’s 2024-25 Editors-In-Chief were Ray Dai, Ben Feit and Isaac Williams. Dai returned this year, while Feit and Williams graduated in June. Feit was the district’s Valedictorian, and Williams is now a student at Syracuse University.

Reinhardt emphasizes the importance of working as a team to her students. It is that focus that gives her so much pride when her students win awards each year.

“Yes, some people are going to be individually recognized, but we work as a team. We copy edit together. All of the stories that were submitted had gone through so many drafts. Other students helped with that too,” Reinhardt said. “All the awards belong to everybody.”

Among the Gold Awards the Spectator received, along with the Best Overall Newspaper and Service to School awards, were two selections for Best Feature Story: Londyn Wilmot and Abigail Blair for their story titled Sleep Deprivation, and Anne Creeley and Emme Gornikiewicz for their story titled Powerschool.

Silver Award winners include Isaac Williams for Best Photograph; Leo Fote for Best Graphic/Illustration (Portfolio); and Kayleigh Helda for Best Artwork (Portfolio).

Ray Dai earned a pair of Bronze Awards, including Best Written Work in a Newspaper and Best Feature Story, which he shared with Ben Feit.

Honorable Mention Awards were given to Daniel Phillips and Cayden Sedota for Representation in Media, as well as Cassandra Cramer, Abigail Lauer, and Danielle Palisin for Best Written Work in a Newspaper.

Kinsey credited advisors of the state’s top programs for their efforts to go above and beyond to support journalism statewide. In Fredonia, it is Reinhardt and Sedota that support their students in various ways, often including long hours after the school day is over.

“We’re not trying to train journalists, we’re trying to train consumers,” Sedota said. She emphasized the importance of a trusted source and how to discern whether or not something is factual, especially in the current climate.

Reinhardt knows how important the process is, but she lets the students take the lead in doing the work.

“They are the ones who decide what we’re going to publish and the article topics. They take it very seriously,” Reinhardt said. “They catch each other all the time. … They factcheck each other. We’re trying to teach them all those skills, and hopefully, they will take something when they leave here.”

The ESSPA conference was founded in 1937. This past year, the competition featured more than 150 entries from more than 30 schools, with 35 judges ranking the work submitted.

Syracuse University continues to support the awards each year to show a commitment to the field of journalism all across upstate New York, through the students themselves, but also the advisors and school districts that support their efforts.

“For us, being able to promote student journalism, especially at the middle school and high school level, is really important to make sure that students know that they can be communicators, they can be storytellers,” Kinsey said. “The work that they are doing is important and it matters.”

Kinsey said Fredonia specifically is “setting a blueprint for schools to follow” with its journalism program. Kinsey said it is encouraging to see a school district of Fredonia’s size be so committed to journalism year after year.

“More students are becoming interested. Our numbers are up, so I am hoping that continues,” Reinhardt said. “That’s a testament to the students who came before them, the fact that they are setting that bar high and they are continuing to do it.”