For the first time in roughly 16 years, the 2017-2018 InPrint staff was awarded a Gold Crown by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA). In addition, the 2019 Fentonian staff received a Silver Crown from CSPA.

“I think that it speaks very highly of the quality of the program,” adviser Pam Bunka said, “which really speaks to the quality of the students involved. I think it’s only happened once before, where both publications were awarded a crown in the same year.”

About 20 Gold Crowns are given to the top student newspapers in the country, the hybrid print/online InPrint among them. The Fentonian is among 14 yearbooks to receive Silver Crowns.

“I was so overwhelmed to hear to we received a Crown award this year,” former Online Editor in Chief Mckenzie Lookebill said. “Even though I am not at Fenton High School [anymore] I am still proud that we were recognized as one of the top hybrid high school newspapers in the nation.”

Four members of the InPrint staff (seniors Ellie Bennett, Olivia Diesch and juniors Gracie Warda and Hannah Young) traveled to New York City in March to accept the award.

“Being able to go to New York made it more surreal to me,” Bennett said. ”Winning was a validation to me [as an Editor in Chief] that I was doing something right with paper. Knowing that only 20 hybrid newspapers in the whole country got Gold Crowns was even better.”

On top of national recognition, both Fentonian and InPrint staffers received individual awards from CSPA and the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association. The 2018-2019 staff will be evaluated for a Crown in March of 2020.