From Staff Reports
It was another winning year for the staffs of the Aeolus literary magazine and In Motion campus newspaper
Aeolus placed first in Division A of the contest and In Motion, the student newspaper, placed second in General Excellence in the combined A and B divisions. The Reporter, which represents all five campuses at Miami Dade College, took first place for the second year in the newspaper category.
The FCSPA, a division of the Florida College System Activities Association, uses professionals from the fields of journalism, literature and poetry to judge the entries. Ana Veciana-Suarez, a nationally syndicated columnist and longtime Miami Herald reporter, coordinated the contest.
“We were completely shocked to win such a huge honor,” said magazine adviser Elena Jarvis, who co-advises In Motion with Bruce Cook, Assistant Dean of Co-Curricular Activities. “Considering there were 15 magazines overall in the competition and seven newspapers competing, all of which are excellent, it must have been a tough call for the judges. But our students, who work long and hard to ensure the quality of their publications, deserve the recognition. ”
Before being re-christened Aeolus five years ago, the magazine was named Ole, before that Paeonie’s Pen and before that, in the 1970s, Sporran.
Elizabeth Kirkland, editor in chief of In Motion and Aeolus editor for 2015, took on double duties this year to ensure both victories. In addition, winning the coveted Debra Allen Vazquez Memorial Poetry Award for 2015 was DSC’s Brandyn Krampert for his poem “Strangers in a House.” Vazquez taught poetry and creative writing at the College of Central Florida in Ocala before her life was cut short in a domestic violence murder in 2004. Since then, the award has honored her memory and dedication to excellence in the written word.
Judge Dary Matera — author of more than a dozen books, which have been featured on “60 Minutes,” “ Oprah,” and “ Good Morning America, “ as well as reviewed by the Wall Street Journal and New York Times — called Krampert’s submission “Emotional, well written and gut-wrenching.”
First place winners in the magazine categories were: Poem, Brandyn Krampert; Fiction, Deborah Jones; Non-fiction, Sarah Dodge; Art (individual category), Christi Thomas; Photo, Madeline Bertelson; and Photograph (multiple works), Lance Rothwell, Justina Newman and Laural Higman.
Second place awards also went to: Two page Spread, Norah Schoenfarber and Glenda Parson; and Design, Elizabeth Kirkland; Staff Page. In addition, Hannah Stocker and Kirkland placed third for the cover illustration of Aeolus.
In the newspaper category, second-place winners were: Design, Elizabeth Kirkland; News Photo, Lance Rothwell; Sports Photo, Jeff Roach; Advertising, Kirkland; Feature Story, Chloe Chidester; In-Depth Reporting and General Column, Brandyn Krampert; Editorial Cartoon, Tim Fleenor; and Comic Strip, Tristan Cook. Third place for Picture Story was won by Kirkland, Rothwell and Kayli Miller and a third place for Editorial went to Krampert.
Daytona State students also were recipients of Inner Circle Awards recognizing the most wins overall in each category. For newspapers, Krampert and Kirkland were named to the inner circle and in the magazine division, Kirkland took top honors.
The 57th annual FCSPA conference and awards banquet will be held at the Holiday Inn, Walt Disney Resort, again in October 2016.