Robert Gregory, AGHS English teacher and Devil’s Herald newspaper advisor, and Jackson Morris, 12th grade student and Devil’s Herald senior editor.
The Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association recently honored two Avon Grove High School (AGHS) students for their work in the school newspaper, The Devil’s Herald. The students were each recognized with a 2023 Student Keystone Media Award for the best student journalism published during the 2022 calendar year.
Jackson Morris, an AGHS senior, received first place in the General News category. Morris’ article, “AG board debates mask mandate”, was also honored in the Pennsylvania Press Club’s High School Journalism contest last year where it took second place. This year’s win represents the second time The Devil’s Herald has taken first place in the general news category (Trevor Hornby won in 2011). Morris is an aspiring journalist who plans to continue refining his craft in college.
Morris, who serves as the senior editor for The Devil’s Herald, spoke about his experience attending the board meeting. He explained, “The article will always hold a special place in my heart. What’s really interesting about writing for a school newspaper is that it enables me to step out and do something. It was a fun experience for me to get out and attend the school board meeting. I got a bunch of interviews from attendees, and I met many people at the meeting. It was a lot of fun and I’m always going to be grateful for the experiences I was able to have as senior editor.”
Naomi Partridge, a recent AGHS graduate (class of 2022), received an honorable mention in the Personal Profile category. Partridge’s article, “Nartey’s passion inspires others”, was a profile story about fellow Avon Grove student, Bria Nartey (class of 2022). Partridge is currently attending Temple University where she is majoring in media studies and production. She is using her creative and artistic talents to create short films as she embarks on a professional career in media.
The Devil’s Herald newspaper advisor, Robert Gregory, talks highly of this year’s two award recipients. “Naomi always brought interesting story ideas to our newsroom and I’m thankful that she wrote about her peer, Bria Nartey. Nartey was known to many in the school because of her leadership with the many clubs and athletics, but Naomi was able to get a deeper understanding about Bria’s pride in her African origins,” said Gregory. “Naomi always did a great job of digger deeper and trying to find the interesting anecdote in her stories.”
Gregory continued, “Jackson has always shown courage in reporting. He will do what is necessary to get all sides of a story and does not shy away from writing about controversial topics. He did an excellent job of reporting about the mask mandate that took place at the school board meeting in January 2022. He knew it was a sensitive topic and he let the facts and sources tell the story,” he explained.
The Devil’s Herald continues to be an award-winning student newspaper and has won six Student Keystone Media Awards to date.
