Student Broadcasters Share Their Talent, Win Eddy Awards

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If you need proof that there really are good things on TV news shows, take a look at the student broadcasters who were honored with Eddy Awards from Instructional Television (ITV).

With talent, poise and perfect articulation, Catholic elementary and high school student broadcasters were honored at the 41st annual Eddy Awards May 16 with shiny gold medals and plaques, as well as bragging rights.

St. Catharine Academy in the Bronx won four awards, including Best News Team, on the topic of “Unjust cuffs: Innocent Behind Bars.” The school was recognized with three other awards: high school photo essay, Yei Mansuo; interview, Sarah Gilliland and Katherine Nunez; and the team award for high school graphics.

Transfiguration School in Tarrytown also won four awards, including Best Elementary News Team for their show, “The Music Industry: Then vs. Now.” The school also won for elementary debate, Gibran Mourani and Robert Doyle; anchorperson, Michael Kozlowski and Lily McHale; and brought home the team award for elementary research.

The student reports covered topics including gun control, sweatshops, the future of cursive writing, government surveillance and many others.

Dr. Timothy McNiff, superintendent of schools for the archdiocese, served as one of the award presenters.

WNYW-Fox 5 meteorologist Nick Gregory humorously told the student broadcasters gathered at the archdiocese’s ITV studios on the campus of St. Joseph’s Seminary in Dunwoodie, “This is the place where we come to meet the people who will be taking our jobs!”

In fact, Gregory, who served as master of ceremonies, won an Eddy Award when he was a student at Iona Preparatory School in New Rochelle.

Roland Chapdelaine, producer of “News and Views” and the Eddy Awards, told CNY, “Each year our student broadcasters show us the world through their eyes: their opinions, their hopes, their dreams for the future. That’s what keeps ‘News and Views’ fresh and new every year, for 41 years—one of the longest-running shows in New York television history.”

Marisa Fox, a senior at Maria Regina High School in Hartsdale, has been involved in ITV’s student-driven “News and Views” program since before she started high school. She plans to study broadcasting at Manhattan College in the fall.

She told CNY she has learned valuable skills during her time on the air. “I learned a lot of camera work, how to present myself and speak to an audience,” said Marisa, who was the winner of the high school debate award along with student Samantha Dauer.

“A lot of the topics touched on, all through a Catholic perspective, make you want to reach out to the community,” she said.

As an example, she noted that she is more readily aware of the needs of the poor and the effects of poverty, because of the programs on “News and Views.”

Another student from Maria Regina, sophomore Vivian Llanes told CNY this was her first year doing “News and Views” in high school. She won the award for best high school feature.

“I definitely like being a part of it. It’s a lot of work, but it pays off in the end,” she said.

“It’s helped me with my public speaking as well as my writing skills,” she added. The best part, she said, “is working with my peers and learning about different topics that open my eyes to the world.”