The Blazer staff earned nine staff and individual awards at the Illinois Community College Journalism Association’s annual conference on Nov. 13.
As a staff, the Blazer took third place in the General Excellence category. This category recognizes the best newspaper or newsletter issues that were produced in the previous academic year.
“I am incredibly proud of the staff for their work on the Blazer last year, and I emphasize the word ‘work.’ They accepted every challenge that came their way, and they never flinched,” said Bob Marcink, who retired from Joliet Junior College in August after serving as Blazer adviser for 28 years. “They served the JJC community well, and that is all you can ask from any staff of journalists.”
The staff also earned both third place and an honorable mention in the front-page design category.
JJC alumni also took home multiple awards. Former Blazer co-editors Abby Timm and Hailey Hoffmann took second place for Editorial Writer of the Year. Timm earned honorable mention honors for Reporter of the Year.
“The awards are always so special, because they give a chance for our staff to get recognized for their hard work,” Hoffmann said. “Putting together the paper every month is a lot of work, and the awards give us an opportunity to work towards something. Leading the Blazer was one of my greatest accomplishments and I am honored that Bob trusted me and allowed me to take on that leadership position.”
Timm and former production manager Victoria Camarda snagged an honorable mention for News Story of the Year.
“The Blazer will always have such a big place in my heart, and I’m so grateful that it’s getting the recognition it deserves — not just because I was an editor, but because it recognizes the individual effort everyone put into each issue,” Timm said. “Working with Hailey and Victoria was wonderful. Hailey, of course, being my co-editor, made it so much easier for me to get everything done. Both of them were always willing to pick up extra stories if need be, and they came in as much as possible during production week. I was so happy to see Victoria get more involved with the Blazer, and I loved helping her get more acquainted with production.”
Hoffmann earned third place in the staff editorial category. Camarda earned second place in interior page design. Former Blazer sports writer Gustavo Arriaga earned third place in the sports game story category.
