“The Delphi” recently received important news from GSSPA. The staff entered the Garden State Scholastic Press Association contest for 2023 and won three titles.
The staff took second place in the state for Overall Online Excellence for online newspapers, alumnus Avery Fitz took third place for news writing for “The hate that inspired love in Frenchtown,” and Veronica Hart took second place in high school podcasts for her podcast “Behind the Backline.”
The 2023 GSSPA contest judges consisted of professional journalists, professors and experienced advisers from outside of New Jersey who judged different categories of articles and types of media, including Editorial Writing, News Writing, Layout and Design, Opinion Writing, Podcast, Breaking News and Broadcast Segment.
Editor-in-chief Sara Matthews, who is now in her third year writing for “The Delphi,” appreciates the hard work of last year’s staff.
“It took a lot of hours of preplanning and working out of school to keep updating the school newspaper to feel more involved,” said Matthews.
While this should come as no surprise, the accomplishments of The Delphi’s staff continue to amaze us. Mr. Smith’s guidance, and the talents and dedication of Avery, Veronica and the rest of the staff are an award-winning combination that is a source of pride for the Del Val community.
— Principal Michael Kays
Editor-in-chief Veronica Hart is excited that her podcast is taking off.
“I was so thrilled,” said Hart. “It means so much to me that I’ve had the opportunity to run up against so many talented podcasters, but for me to exceed some, it gives me that extra confidence to do better. Not to mention the exciting spotlight this competition has cast on Del Val. Not only did I win, but our whole staff took second place for overall online excellence and last year’s senior, Avery, won third for news writing. It’s honestly been a win for our entire reputation.”
Brian Smith, The Delphi’s advisor, shared his appreciation for the previous year’s staff, as well as his hopes for this year’s staff, in an email sent to the staff to announce the awards.
“If you worked on last year’s paper, congratulations,” said Smith. “For those of you just joining this year, we are building a strong program, and we are looking forward to making it even better with all of you on board.”
The Delphi staff is working hard to meet this goal or potentially pass it this school year. The staff is creating many new and intriguing stories that will make the newspaper stand out from its competition.
