Bear Facts joined 42 area school journalism groups at the College of DuPage campus today for the Northern Illinois Scholastic Press Association awards, where Bear Facts won several awards.

College of DuPage hosted the 2013-2014 NIPSA awards for school newspapers and yearbooks. Bear Facts writers won several blue ribbons and honorable mentions, and the paper itself won a Silver Certificate and a Golden Eagle.

The day wasn’t just awards, however; students also went to two workshops of choice and listened to keynote speaker Nancy Armour, USA Today Sportswriter. Armour also answered students’ questions and gave advice to future journalists.

“A good journalist needs to be curious, be a good writer, and learn to adapt,” Armour said. “You have to develop a confidence and a thick skin. You have every right to do your job. If you do your job, and you do your job well, no one has any right to say anything to you.”

Students were curious to find out the winners of the awards. Bear Facts staffers won eight blue ribbons and received three honorable mentions, on top of the publication’s Golden Eagle and Silver Certificate.

Blue Ribbons:

Sara Pardej and Kat Pauli – Editorial

Jenna Roach – Feature

Emily Hack – Column

Julia Kuhn, Sara Pardej, Kat Pauli, and Genna Danial – In-Depth Team

Genna Danial and Emily Hack – Graphics

Nikos Stroubos – Ad Design

Honorable Mentions:

Jenny Steinberg – News

Lexi Miranda – Sports

Jenna Roach – Photography