Uncaged receives the Silver Crown at the CSPA spring conference in New York
Bursting with joy, the Uncaged staff came home from CSPA with a Silver Crown. All three of the other schools from Michigan did as well. The Silver Crown is awarded for getting at least 600 points from the national judges.
Ellen’s Stardust Diner is located on Broadway in New York City. On the second day of the trip Fenton and Stockbridge staffs took a visit to the diner, which is known for its show tune singing wait staff. Stockbridge graduate Michael Samhat is currently studying acting at Marymount Manhattan College.
On the way to our hotel, the Row NYC, there was an estimated 2-3 inches falling per hour which caused some tricky travels for the staffs. Cross country travel in adverse conditions taught us how to be flexible and make decisions quickly.
One day after classes, we went to the well-known Eataly, an Italian market accompanied by restaurants. We walked by the famous Flatiron Building (formerly known as Fuller) on 175th Street. The building was designed by a Chicago architect and was originally built to be used for offices.
A street performer sings to a small crowd toward one of the entrances to Central Park known as Strawberry Fields across from The Dakota Apartments, where John Lennon lived for the latter part of his life and where he was murdered in 1980. Lennon was an influential artist in his time and had changed what it meant to be a performing artist by living openly in the public eye.
Gleaming atop The USS Maine National Monument, a sculpture inspired by Audrey Munson. Although, the weather was rather bitter, the staffs toured parts of the city each afternoon after CSPA jounalism classes to learn the culture and history of the area and work on photography skills.
Taking the subway to the Trump International Hotel and Tower area, Uncaged and Fenton staffs found a variety of sights.
Soon after getting off the subway, we walked past the Trump International Hotel and Tower before our intended destination of Trump Tower, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Tiffany’s and the Rockefeller Center area on 5th Avenue a few blocks away.
Jon Ringel teaches a class about beefing up high school online publications. Stockbridge editors learn that it is wise to have a website for news briefs, because it is more timely than a physical paper. He talks about how his students use their cell phones with a mic attachment to take their videos of the sporting events. He has an energetic tone that helps keep the students awake and paying attention.
After arriving at the Row NYC, the teams gather in the advisers’ room to drop off bags before continuing the day. Every morning, the team would meet in the hotel lobby to establish the plans for the day.
Surrounding the ice rink in Rockefeller Plaza, flags represent every member of the United Nations. Around Christmas, every flag pole hosts an American flag.
On our fifth day on the trip, after the awards ceremony, the team did a lot of sightseeing, including the 9/11 Memorial Fountain. The memorial staff places a white rose on each person’s name when it is their birthday.
Arriving outside of Trump International Hotel and Tower, both the Fenton and Stockbridge staffs walked to Central Park.
Located in the Strawberry Fields section of Central Park, the Imagine mosaic is a tribute to John Lennon. His song “Imagine” was one of the 100 top performed songs in the 20th century.
Before going to see “Wicked” on Broadway, both staffs gathered at Carmine’s for a family portioned traditional Italian dinner.
Shuttering from the cold, the staff stopped at a Times Square store on the way to see the Broadway performance of “Wicked.” The popular musical taught us that friends are able to be made in the most unlikely places.
Resting on a road near Central Park that is closed off, bicycle taxis were trying to get customers.
Before catching our flight to Detroit Metro Airport, the Uncaged staff stopped at a restaurant to have a bite to eat and establish what the plan would be when back in Michigan.
After seeing “Wicked” on Broadway, both staffs posed for a picture to remember their night on Broadway.
Frank LoMonte, Executive Director of the Student Press Law Center, addresses advisers and presenters of the conference after being awarded the Joseph M. Murphy Award for tireless advocacy of student press rights. The award is named after the Founding director and honors his 45 years of service.
After being handed the Silver Crown, the editors-in-chief inspect the plaque before getting their photo taken with Edmund Sullivan, Executive Director of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.
Just upon receiving Uncaged’s Silver Crown award, we had an opportunity to have our photo taken with Edmund Sullivan, Director of CSPA. Sullivan was named the executive director of CSPA in 1981, and was previously a high school adviser.
About the Contributor
Eric Johnson, Editor-in-Chief
I was encouraged to join journalism when some of my friends told me about how much fun it was, and I decided I would see if I liked it. As a senior, I...
