BHS publications shine as four Roar journalists and The Pride win awards at New England’s premiere publications conference, the Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference and the New England Scholastic Press Association Conference.

Junior Megan Friel has been selected as the state of Maine representative for the Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference. The award is named after Al Neuharth an American author and businessman. Neuharth founded USA Today, The Freedom Forum, and its Newseum.  Friel submitted three essays for the award, the biggest one in her opinion being her September 22 story about Matt Lauzon.

“It was a really really controversial topic,” said Friel. “ I tried to put a more positive spin on it and make it into something that could inspire students to speak out and to kind of raise awareness.”

This award includes a $1000 scholarship and an all-expense paid trip to Washington D.C. for the conference. Friel will meet with representatives from each state as well as learn from some of the best journalists in the country.

“One of my really good friends, Marissa Heffernan, had won and she talked  about it all the time,” said Friel. She met some very good friends through it, and it really helped her out with her journalism career.”

Friel had doubts about her chances of winning, giving props to her fellow Roar journalist Lauren Paquet, who also applied for the award.

“I was beaming,”said Friel. “I was shocked first off because I didn’t think I would win, I know that Lauren was a very strong competitor.”

Friel received praise from her journalism Teacher Dawn Pendergrass, as well as a letter from State Representative Martin J. Grohman congratulating her on her award.

“Megan is a phenomenal writer with a gift for finding the creative angle that makes reporting so powerful,” Pendergrass said.

Friel plans to further her journalism career in college, and is currently in the search for the right school.

“I’ve been looking at University of Vermont, Saint Mikes or  Bishops in Canada,” said Friel. “I would love to major in it [journalism],  I would love to go into it. I’ve been touring in hopes for a school that is a good fit for me and my major.”

Friel won a Special Achievement Award at the New England Scholastic Press Association Conference, along with three other Roar writers; Alex Keely, Taylor Turgeon and Noah Gagne.

The Pride also took home an award, winning the highest honor at the same conference. One of the editors of the Pride was very pleased upon hearing about this award.

“We were obviously excited because you put so much work into something that people are going to remember for the rest of their lives,” Turgeon said.

Another editor of the pride, junior Michael Tenney, also pleased with the award, mentioned that only eight people put this book together. As opposed to the usual, Tenney had extra satisfaction because this was his first year as editor of the book.

“It was especially exciting for me because it was my first book, and to get rewarded for that is great,” Tenney said.

Pride adviser Dawn Pendergrass accredits the Pride’s success to the fact that the yearbook program goes more in depth than at other schools.

“First of all, it’s a class (yearbook), and some schools just have it as an extracurricular activity,” said Pendergrass. “And when I first took this over one of the things I started to do was taking kids to national conventions.”

Pendergrass thinks that these conventions help the students of the Pride to better their own yearbook.

“Having them go to national conventions and see what other schools are doing with their books they were immediately saying ‘why aren’t we doing that?’,” said Pendergrass. “And I said we can.”

The editors of the Pride give much of the credit to Pendergrass for giving them the tools to create a good yearbook.

“I think that it’s good to have an adviser that knows what she is doing,” said Turgeon.  “You can really tell that we’re very experienced in photoshop and headline writing.”

Tenney agrees with Turgeon saying that she sets them up for success and helps when it is necessary, but gives them creative freedom as well.

“She pushes us to do the work ourselves and make it an actual student book because I feel like a lot of advisers say this is how it has to be,” said Tenney.“ It’s not her telling us what to do, it’s more so talking us through it.”

Pendergrass believes in this philosophy saying that it is the truly the student’s book.

“It’s really their book, its not mine it’s theirs,” Pendergrass said.

Pendergrass often deflects questions from younger staff members to the editors or veteran members of the Pride.

“They mentor the younger staffers,” said Pendergrass. “I’ll say ‘have you run this by Michael or Taylor?’”

Pendergrass also believes that the previous books produced by the Pride set the bar for the next year’s yearbook.

“Its a matter of always having that product that you aspire to and also try to elevate.” Pendergrass said.