The Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) awarded The Gator a Gold Crown Friday afternoon for its work during 2019-2020 academic year, the highest honor in high school journalism.

“The Gator overwhelms its audience (in a good way) with content,” CSPA’s virtual announcement said. “Scrolling down the homepage, there are so many ways to reach stories. Getting timely information is important to the staff as seen when its editors decided to publish a breaking news story about racism and bias at the school, which was published between academic years. The homepage carries a lot of content and provides multiple entry points for readers. The staff posts content on a regular basis in all sections. Readers are drawn to the multiple stories due to the strong reporting and writing. The staff stays up-to-date with technology to enhance content presentation, such as using Shorthand for photo essay “Boston Goes Dark.”

In early December, CSPA named The Gator one of just 17 High School Digital News Crown Finalists. With the updated announcement, nine schools nationwide earned Gold Crowns.

“I’m so proud of the work we’ve done in the newsroom,” Editor-in-Chief Karly Hamilton ’21 said, who also also served as last year’s managing editor. “I’m honored to have worked with such driven and skilled journalists, and this award is well-deserved.”

Winning this prestigious award brought tears of joy to Adviser David Cutler’s eyes.

“The only other time that I’ve cried tears of joy like this was right before my wedding and right after the birth of my son,” Cutler said. “That should tell you a lot about how proud I am of everyone, who united to produce something truly special during extraordinary times. I hope that the the community-at-large understands how special all of this is, how proud I am to advise this incredible publication, and how much I love this community.”