The Columbia Scholastic Press Association recently bestowed upon The Gator its highest honor, a Crown Finalist award, for work during the 2019-2020 academic year.

Of the 849 digital magazines, newspapers, and yearbooks eligible for consideration by the CSPA, The Gator was one of only 17 High School Digital News Crown Finalists, and one of the three Massachusetts schools recognized.

“Last year was a banner year, where all the stars aligned,” Adviser David Cutler said. “I’m so thankful that this positive momentum carries in this newsroom. Without question, the students deserve this highest honor, having gone above and beyond during quarantine last spring. Not only did the newsroom pump out fresh content, but the editors completely redesigned the whole site.”

Former Co-Editor-in-Chief Camille Cherney ‘20, who was instrumental in the newsroom’s success last year, echoed Cutler’s remarks.

“I am so proud of the entire newsroom for this exciting achievement,” Cherney shared. “Despite the disruption that the pandemic and remote schooling caused, we managed to produce a record quantity of high-quality content throughout the academic year. The need for adaptation brought upon by this crisis only served to make us better journalists with a greater sense of connection to our communities, both large and small.”

A writer on staff last year, Zakkai Mares-Van Praag ‘22 was also delighted to hear about The Gator’s recognition.

“I’m really grateful to have been part of The Gator last year,” Mares-Van Praag said. “I’m honored our school could win this award, and I’m excited to see what comes next.”

Crown finalists will be announced as winners of Gold or Silver Crowns in March next year.

“No matter what Crown we come home with, this is a tremendous honor,” Cutler said. “There is no greater recognition in scholastic journalism that receiving a Crown.”