Journalism honor society inducts Bethel Park High School students
Bethel Park High School inducted 12 students into its chapter of Quill & Scroll, the international honorary society for high school journalists, at a virtual ceremony held May 28.
As part of the ceremony, journalism advisers presented awards to student staff members of the high school’s Hawk Eye newspaper, Beacon yearbook, Black Hawk TV video production studio and Vernissage literary arts magazine who have excelled in communications work during the past school year.
Students inducted into Quill & Scroll membership were seniors Kevin Aoun (BHTV), Kyle Bailey (BHTV), Sydney Burns (Vernissage), Tommy DiRienzo (Hawk Eye), Erin Dublin (Hawk Eye), Ryan Meis (Hawk Eye), Tyler Miller (BHTV) and Dylan Shields (Hawk Eye and BHTV); junior Matthew Szymanowski (Hawk Eye and BHTV); and sophomores Evan Mannion (Beacon and BHTV), Matthew McCullough (BHTV), and Max Smith (BHTV).
Charles Youngs, high school curriculum facilitator of English language arts, hosted the live web event. School publications advisers shared highlights of their year. The high school journalism and communications advisers are John Allemang, adviser of the Hawk Eye online student newspaper and the Beacon yearbook, and Brad Kszastowski, adviser of video production and Black Hawk TV.
A keynote address was given by Jane Blystone, an award-winning and respected advocate of scholastic journalism on state and national levels. She has served as President of both the Pennsylvania School Press Association and the Journalism Education Association. Her talk stressed the importance of student voice, now and throughout their lives.
Following her remarks, the induction, which includes a ceremonial candle lighting, took place. The initiates received membership pins and certificates by mail and a subscription to the Quill & Scroll online magazine.
According to Quill & Scroll’s bylaws, members must be chosen from students enrolled in high school, 10th through 12th grades, who, at the time of their election, meet these requirements: They must be a senior, junior or second-semester sophomore, be in the upper third of their class in general scholastic standing, have done superior work in some phase of school publications, and be recommended by their publication adviser.