Baldwinsville student journalists earn top honors at Empire State School Press Association Conference

Student journalists from C.W. Baker High School, Durgee Junior High School and Ray Middle School earned top honors at the 2026 Empire State School Press Association (ESSPA) Conference held Tuesday at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

Representing three student-produced news programs, Baldwinsville students were recognized for their outstanding reporting, storytelling and production work created during the 2025–26 academic year, earning multiple Gold Awards, a Gold Key and a Silver Medal.

Baker News earned a Gold Medal for Best TV Show for Wildest Outfits at the NYS Fair, filmed by Vivian Cannella, Haylee Chetney and Quinn Rost, hosted by Evan Beckwith and Eva Murphy, and edited by Leif Donaghey. The team also received a Silver Medal for Best School/Community Feature for its coverage of the previous year’s Homecoming Pep Rally. That feature was filmed by Brielle Taylor, Vivian Cannella and Mylea Calabro, hosted by Sydney Brown, and edited by Brock Adams. Baker Library Media Specialist Leslie Cartier serves as the Baker News Director.

Durgee News students earned a Gold Award for Special Top Coverage for their podcast, Murder on Marble Street. Current and alumni Durgee News students attended Tuesday’s conference, with podcast hosts Quentin Ladd and Piper Daniel representing Mrs. Holmes’ 2025–26 journalism students, who also earned a Gold Key at the 2026 conference. Durgee Library Media Specialist Lindsay Cesari serves as the Durgee News Director.

Ray News, the student-produced news program at Ray Middle School, brought home two Gold Awards. The Season Four team earned Best News Story for ID Badges at Ray, created by Mackenzie Hoekstra, Grace Edwards, Evelyn Shultz, Avery Wells, Jorge Rivera, Scarlet Adamy and Caroline Holmes. The team also won Best Community Feature for Ghost Walk, created by Grace Edwards, Mackenzie Hoekstra, Evelyn Shultz and Avery Wells. Competing primarily against high school broadcasting programs, these awards represent a significant achievement for the middle school journalists. Ray Library Media Specialist Justin Ashworth serves as the Ray News Director.

These achievements highlight the creativity, dedication and talent of Baldwinsville’s student journalists across all three schools. Congratulations to our students and the educators who support their work!

Go Bees!