GRU student newspaper receives 14 awards in statewide competitio - WFXG FOX54 Augusta - Your News One Hour Earlier

Georgia Regents University's student newspaper, The Bell Ringer, received 14 awards at the Georgia College Press Association Awards Banquet in Athens, Ga. on Feb. 2. The publication competed against college newspapers across the state and won one more award than last year's record.

Among the awards were five first-place honors, including Best Editorial or Editorial Series, Best Campus Community Service – Features, Best Campus Community Service – Editorial and Most Improved.  The paper also took second place in the prestigious General Excellence category, said Faculty Adviser Matthew Bosisio.

"We're competing with a lot of very fine newspapers across the state, so to take second in the category of General Excellence is a real mark of how good our students are," Bosisio said. "We have a talented group of hard-working, dedicated journalists in the newsroom. They take it seriously. They're serving students, faculty and staff on a daily basis, and I'm proud of them."

Individual award winners were Travis Highfield, first place for investigative reporting; John-Michael Garner, second place in best sports story; and Jacquelyn Pabon, two second-place awards for best sports photograph and best review. In addition, The Bell Ringer won second place for its website.

At the conference, 10 students from The Bell Ringer staff had the chance to view student newspapers from across the state and attend educational seminars.

The Bell Ringer is 55 years old and is published biweekly. The staff includes 11 students who receive a stipend for their work and about a dozen additional writers.