Staffers receive awards, honor from mayor

As the school year winds down to a close, members of The Feather begin to reflect on the year and its accomplishments. This year, the Feather was recognized for its hard work not only by the school, but also from the City of Fresno.

Mayor Ashley Swearengin as well as members of City Hall recognized the hard work of The Feather staffers by declaring May 12, 2016, The Feather Online Day in the City of Fresno. The city wanted to recognize The Feather for winning both the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Crown and National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker awards in the 2015-16 school year.

Before the staffers arrived at city hall, they were treated to a special luncheon at the Tree of Life Cafe in downtown Fresno courtesy of Superintendent Jeremy Brown. Matthew Sue, ‘18, enjoyed the fresh feel of the restaurant.

“I have not had a lot of experience with restaurants like the Tree of Life Cafe, so it was a refreshing experience eating at there,” Sue said. “I liked the atmosphere, it had a rustic feel to it and the food was good. I especially liked the roast chicken salad. I also liked the decorations, especially the row of fresh basil growing in the restaurant itself. This made the restaurant feel fresh and new.”

After leaving the cafe, staff members made their way to the Fresno City Hall. Upon arriving at the city hall building, many members were in awe by the architecture of both the outside and interior of the building. For many staffers this was their first time seeing the building in person.

“Being able to see City Hall and be recognized for all of our work by the mayor was an honor,” Briggs said. “I had never been inside the City Council before, and it was amazing to see all the council members, and receive my own certificate. It was an awesome experience.”

Each member of the Feather also received a certificate of recognition signed by the mayor herself as well as council member Lee Brand. Staffers appreciated the recognition for their hard work and enjoyed the unique opportunity to meet with the mayor of Fresno.

Elizabeth Baker, ‘17, was honored to get to meet the mayor and also receive a signed certificate from her.

“It was a very exciting experience overall,” Baker said. “I used to hear Ashley Swearengin’s voice in the Fresno Yosemite International Airport welcoming people to Fresno, so getting to see her in person was amazing. Getting to receive a certificate from the mayor isn’t something that happens everyday, and it’s an absolute honor.”

For many, the event was a reminder that the hard work of being on the Feather staff pays of. Editor-in-chief Rees Roggenstein, ‘16, appreciated the recognition from the city and was proud of the efforts put in by the entire team.

“I think it was a really cool experience that The Feather Online was recognized for its accomplishments by the Fresno City Council,” Roggestein said. “Having May 12 be declared ‘The Feather Day’ by Mayor Ashley Swearengin and the council was huge honor, but this staff definitely deserved the recognition for their efforts. I am very proud to have belonged to this staff and had the opportunity to lead them as Editor-in-Chief, they were absolutely phenomenal.”

Although the Feather has won awards in the past years, this is the first time the group has been invited to Fresno City Hall since Editor-in-Chief Chloe Mueller has been on staff.

“Since I’ve been on the Feather staff, this is the first time we’ve been honored and invited to town hall,” Mueller said. “It was a great wrap-up moment for our entire staff and finalized the school year for us. I felt very proud to be part of such an astounding group, and was glad we could experience this before we all graduate or leave for summer.”

The Feather Online was also recognized for their achievements by the City of Fresno in 2012 for winning both awards. This is the sixth time The Feather Online won the NSPA Pacemaker and CSPA Gold Crown top titles since 2006. The Feather is one of only five online high school newspapers to have been honored with earning scholastic journalism’s premier awards in 2015-2016 school year.

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