This week, Innovation Academy student journalists attended the Georgia Scholastic Press Association’s Spring workshop and awards ceremony in Athens, Ga. At this event, students were able to attend workshops on topics such as managing the First Amendment , photography rules and best practices, and how graphic design can enhance your newspaper, but they also participated in the spring awards ceremony, celebrating the best and brightest journalists in the state of Georgia. Two IA students, Siddarth Suresh [12] and Tommy Steimer [12] took home awards recognizing their excellence in the field of journalism.

Siddarth was celebrated for his contributions for Behavioral Health Journalism Excellence for his articles about AAPI students as well as the mental health of teachers, winning two first place prizes. Tommy was recognized for his filmmaking efforts and won first prize in the short film competition. Beacon student Noah Coss [12] also contributed to the film.

The Beacon has grown significantly this year and we are SO proud of our student journalists!!