As the conclusion of the Feather editorial staff’s trip to New York City, staffers attend the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) crowning award ceremony at Columbia University, March 20. This event, which takes place on mid-afternoon Friday, reveals whether students have received a Silver or Gold Crown for their efforts.

After anxiously waiting for their paper to be called, staffers finally got the news that they earned a CSPA Gold Crown, the highest award given by the CSPA. This is the third consecutive and fifth time overall that The Feather has taken home this award along with two Silvers since 2008.

The Feather is honored to be recognized by such a nationally acclaimed source. Staffers hope to continue the tradition of taking home a Gold Crown. Next semester, The Feather will be moving in a new, more modern direction with a new website layout. The Feather will also work to implement more texture and media through new outlets.

2,691 students attended the convention, representing 299 schools within 34 states. Some schools even represented neighboring nations, such as Mexico and Canada.

Editor-in-Chief, Chloe Mueller, ’16, reports an attitude of elation towards this win, and motivation for the future.

“Of course, before you actually get the award, you are worried that you may not receive it,” Mueller said. “So when I heard that we won a Gold Crown, I was ecstatic. This experience has really motivated me to push on and come back stronger next year.”

Senior John Dooman, Reviews Editor, shares the highlight of the New York trip along and winning the Gold Crown award.

“This is the third Gold Crown that The Feather has won since I first joined,” Dooman said. “The anticipation that was built up around winning this last crown was crazy. Most of us editors are seniors and this was our last chance to help The Feather achieve excellence and I think I speak for all the senior editors when I say that this was a great way to end our high school journalism careers.”

Videographer Timothy Nyberg, ’16, explains his reaction to winning the CSPA Digital Gold Crown and looks forward to working for the gold next year.

“I was thrilled when I found out that we had won the CSPA Gold Crown. Each staff member has put in so much work this year and we are happy to receive a pay off,” Nyberg said. “I’m looking forward to going above and beyond next year.”

While The Feather Online did not qualify for a National Scholastic Press Association Online Pacemaker for the second year in a row, the staff is excited to rebuild the website and be more forward thinking to include a more modern look and feel with an emphasis on media. Look for the changes by summer’s end.

Along with The Feather, the Foothill Dragon Press from Ventura, CA, was also awarded a Digital Gold Crown.

Follow The Feather via Twitter @thefeather and Instagram @thefeatheronline. This writer can be reached via Twitter: @_sarapeterson.

For more features, read the March 18 article, Alumna shares personal journey, life with professional athlete.