The Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) awarded eight student journalists from The Black & White the “Gold Circle” award, the organization announced this March.

The CSPA is part of the Columbia University journalism school and aims to support and celebrate student journalism across the country, according to their mission statement. 

The winning stories spanned across several sections and included both digital work and stories from the publication’s newsmagazine The B&W. 

Print Managing Editor Simone Meyer won an award for her feature story on former Whitman teacher and current substitute Robert Butler; Opinion Editor William Hallward-Driemeier, for his opinion story that argued against grade inflation in MCPS; Opinion Editor Eliana Joftus, for her entertainment criticism of the Netflix series “Sex Education;” Print Managing Editor Samie Travis, for her blog detailing how cooking helped her take control of her life; and then-news writer Greta Berglund, for her news story on former Whitman teacher Kirkland Shipley’s sentencing for sexual abuse.

Online Editor-in-Chief Ethan Schenker won two awards, one for his news story on three Whitman students who were charged with murder, and another for his print story about the juvenile criminal justice system. 

Print Editor-in-Chief Lauren Heberlee won three awards for her feature story on figure skater Vera Zhong, her blog about her experience backpacking in the Alaskan wilderness and her print feature on how social media increases access to drugs.

Online Managing Editor Stephanie Solomon won two awards for her blog about the toxic culture of ballet and her feature story on the history of Glen Echo Park.