Wingspan named Crown Award winner

Standing+in+Times+Square+on+March+17%2C+2016%2C+Wingspan+staff+members+pose+for+a+group+picture+on+their+last+night+in+the+Big+Apple+after+receiving+a+2016+CSPA+Silver+Crown+Award.%0AFRONT+ROW%3A+Henry+Youtt%2C+Maddie+Owens+and+Arman+Kafai.+BACK+ROW%3A+Josh+Gray%2C+Halle+Barham%2C+Alex+Moore%2C+Sarah+Philips%2C+Chase+Fritz+and+Jay+Schlaegel.

Brian Higgins

Standing in Times Square on March 17, 2016, Wingspan staff members pose for a group picture on their last night in the Big Apple after receiving a 2016 CSPA Silver Crown Award. FRONT ROW: Henry Youtt, Maddie Owens and Arman Kafai. BACK ROW: Josh Gray, Halle Barham, Alex Moore, Sarah Philips, Chase Fritz and Jay Schlaegel.

Wade Glover, Staff Reporter
December 1, 2016

For the second year in a row, Wingspan has received a Columbia Scholastic Press Association 2017 Digital Crown Award awarded by Columbia University in New York City. Wingspan is one of 14 high schools in the country to receive a 2017 Digital Crown Award.

“To think that we have won a CSPA Crown Award for the second year in a row is mind blowing,” Wingspan adviser Brian Higgins said. “We have only been online for about 15 months and to receive this recognition is a tremendous honor. It’s awesome to be recognized for the work these students are doing.”

Wingspan is the only journalism program in the school district to have won a Crown Award.

“The CSPA Crown Award is one of the most coveted honors any scholastic journalism program can achieve,” yearbook teacher Carole Babineaux said. “For Wingspan to have done this two years in a row now is just remarkable. It shows the type of effort and professionalism the students in this program and their sponsor are providing.”

All 14 high schools named by CSPA are winners, not nominees. However, some programs will receive a Gold Crown instead of Silver Crown at the award convention in March.

“When we went, we won a Silver Crown Award and it was kind of disappointing,” Wingspan TV Executive Producer Maddie Owens said. “But it helped us figure out what we needed to work on for this year.”