2022 Achievement Award winners celebrated

GSPA honored three Achievement Award winners during the Spring Award ceremony April 11, 2022.

The Enterprising Award recognizes a student who achieves success in publishing significant, quality journalistic work outside of school in local, regional or national outlets. 

GSPA Student Ambassador Anna Rachwalski of Midtown High School (left) presents Violet Calkin of Cedar Shoals High School with the Enterprising Award during at the UGA Georgia Center on April 11, 2022. PHOTO BY JACKSON SCHROEDER

This year’s winner is Violet Calkin of Cedar Shoals High School. She is the co-Editor-in-Chief of BluePrints Magazine at Cedar Shoals High School and the Editorial Intern for Flagpole Magazine, a local weekly newspaper in Athens. 

Calkin’s coverage for the Flagpole has included a wide range of topics, such as restorative justice practices at Cedar Shoals, reproductive rights campaigning in Athens, mask policies and the Georgia Board of Education’s opposition to teaching Critical Race Theory. 

Calkin describes the work as rewarding. “Through my stories, I hold the power to provoke thought and provide knowledge to readers across my town,” she said. “I am able to unearth and share stories with compassion and courage, enlighten my community with fair news and contribute to the publication with my unique voice.”

Adviser Marc Ginsberg said, “More important than her work, products, and leadership, Violet displays supreme humility in her talents while caring even more for others.”

The Perseverance Award recognizes a staff or member that has overcome significant adversity to put out a quality product or who has overcome many obstacles to report on an important issue. 

Julia Depasquale of Marietta High School’s Pitchfork newspaper took extra care and due diligence to honor student voices and ensure those students were comfortable in the process when working on the piece “LGBTQ+ at Marietta.”

In her nomination letter, Depasquale is quoted as saying, “Giving power to student voices will always hold the utmost importance to me as I continue to defend free press that tells the stories of all.”

Adviser of the Year recognizes a journalism adviser who goes beyond the “call of duty” in supporting his or her staff. This year’s winner is Shanon Woolf, adviser of the McIntosh Trail news website and The Legend Yearbook at McIntosh High School. Read more about Woolf here.