Credit: Submitted
Bucks County Community College’s student-run newspaper has set a new record by winning 22 awards at the 2024 Student Keystone Media Awards competition.
The awards recognize The Centurion’s excellence in a number of categories, including general news, public service/enterprise reporting, sports writing, and video news.
The accolades add to The Centurion’s growing list of awards, which now totals more than 180 awards since 2010.
The awards celebrated the students’ journalistic work from both the spring and fall semesters of 2023.
The Centurion, which is primarily produced by students enrolled in the community college’s journalism program, also opens its pages to contributions from non-journalism majors.
Raeanne Raccagno, a 20-year-old journalism major and the current editor-in-chief of the publication, has broadened The Centurion’s content to include comics, more columns, and word games.
“My biggest goal for the paper has been for us to cover a diverse range of topics. I communicated that with the staff, and they answered with no problem. We added some new content to the paper as well this academic year,” she said.
The editor-in-chief acknowledged the challenge of attracting a more readership at the community college’s campuses. The publication has been working to broaden its reach.
“There are so many impressive departments with experienced professors on campus and they all deserve to have a story,” Raccagno said.
Tony Rogers, a journalism professor at the community college and the faculty advisor for the paper, praised the students’ professionalism.
“Between environmental contaminants being found in several campus buildings and the sudden resignation of the college’s president, this has been a tumultuous year at Bucks. Our students have covered all these events and many others with real professionalism, and I’m extremely proud of the work they’ve done,” he said.
The Centurion maintains its financial independence from the community college and has been expanding its digital footprint through its website, bucks-news.com, and its Instagram account, @centurion_bucks.
The Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association administers the Student Keystone Media Awards, with The Centurion competing in Division III, which is reserved for two-year colleges.
The awards will be presented during an awards luncheon next month in Harrisburg.
The list of winners:
- General News – First Place: The Centurion Environmental Findings in Campus Buildings Spark Concerns and Class Changes, Raeanne Raccagno
- General News – Second Place: The Centurion Bucks County DA Sues Social Media Firms, Raeanne Raccagno
- Ongoing News Coverage – First Place: The Centurion Environmental Concerns On- and Off-Campus Christian Grosso, Leila Kelley & Raeanne Raccagno
- Public Service/Enterprise Package – First Place: The Centurion Environmental Findings in Campus Buildings Spark Concerns and Class Changes, Raeanne Raccagno
- Public Service/Enterprise Package – Second Place: The Centurion Forever Tainted – How PFAS Pollutes Some of Bucks County’s Drinking Water, Christian Grosso
- Feature Story – First Place: The Centurion SEPTA Looks To Modernize Its Aging Public Transit System, Christian Grosso
- Feature Story – Honorable Mention: The Centurion ‘Never Forget,’ A Trip To The 9/11 Memorial And Museum, Christian Grosso
- Personality Profile – First Place: The Centurion Founder of Bucks’ Nursing Program Promotes Never-Ending Compassion, Raeanne Raccagno
- Personality Profile – Second Place: The Centurion In the Wake of Ganther’s Resignation, New Bucks Provost Faces a Host of Problems, Madison Kifolo
- Sports Story – First Place: The Centurion Bucks Women’s Basketball is Ready to Bounce Back After An Unsuccessful Last Season, Chris Lopez
- Sports Story – Second Place: The Centurion Men’s Basketball Struggling; Looks to Make a Comeback, Chris Lopez
- Sports Story – Honorable Mention: The Centurion Bucks Men’s Basketball Team Brings Home ESAC Championship Title, Raeanne Raccagno
- Column – First Place: The Centurion Philadelphia 76ers Trade James Harden to LA Clippers; Take Me Out to The Ball Game; Bucks’ Softball Team Comes Back Swinging, Daulton Parry
- Column – Second Place: The Centurion Attention Ghostface Fans… New “Scream” Video Game in Development; Zoo Wee Mama!; Hold on to Your Golden Ticket?! Raymundo “Ralph” Varela-Urizar
- Review – First Place: The Centurion ZTSD Punk Bash Lights Up Fishtown, Colt Gunn
- Cartoon/Graphic Illustration – First Place: The Centurion Dog Life parts 1, 2 and 3, Connor Sturza
- Feature Photo – First Place: The Centurion Therapy Dogs Visit Bucks, Jesse Fischer
- Photo Story – First Place: The Centurion ‘Never Forget,’ A Trip To The 9/11 Memorial And Museum, Christian Grosso
- Website – First Place: The Centurion Raeanne Raccagno, Raymundo “Ralph” Varela-Urizar, Colin Riccardi, Megan Pizarro, Parker DeStefano & Christian Grosso
- Video Story – First Place: The Centurion Septa Bus Route Changes, Christian Grosso
- Video Story – Second Place: The Centurion Andy’s Brick Shop is Building Success, Parker DeStefano
- Video Story – Honorable Mention: The Centurion Sixers Fans Excited About Playoffs, Evan Boyle
For more information about The Centurion or the journalism program, go to bucks.edu/journalism or email Tony.Rogers@bucks.edu.
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