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12 | June 21, 2018 | The highland park landmark news
hplandmark.com
The Landmark wins national feature writing award
Staff Report
For the sixth straight
year, 22nd Century Media
is a national award-winner.
The National Newspaper
Association recognized
22nd Century Media,
the parent company of
The Highland Park Landmark,
with seven awards
for editorial excellence in
its annual Better Newspaper
Contest.
The competition, which
is judged by third-party
media professionals, welcomed
1,405 entries from
115 outlets across 38
states, and the winners will
be recognized at an awards
breakfast Sept. 29 in Norfolk,
Va.
“Our journalists work
hard to provide unmatched
coverage of their communities,
and they make us
proud every day,” Publisher
Joe Coughlin said. “Receiving
recognition like
this, especially from your
peers, is an added bonus.”
Two 22nd Century Media
newspapers — The
New Lenox Patriot and The
Tinley Junction — were
honored twice, while The
Highland Park Landmark,
The Orland Park Prairie
and Malibu Surfside News
picked up one award each.
Out of the North Shore,
The Highland Park Landmark
was named a national
champion in the Best
Feature Story category for
the story, “Highland Park
woman helps create Holocaust
museum’s Take A
Stand Center,” by Xavier
Ward.
Of Ward’s story, the
judge said, “Very interesting
topic to feature. I
got the who, what, when,
where and why out of this
story for sure. ... Overall
great job!”
The Landmark was also
awarded by the National
Newspaper Association in
2017 for Best Sports Story.
Two heartwarming feature
stories from The Patriot
were recognized.
Publisher Joe Coughlin’s
personal story, “A
wedding for the best man,”
about his cousin asking
his dying father to be his
best man in his final days
took second place for Best
Feature, while Assistant
Editor Amanda Stoll’s
story, “Central crowns
Fritzie Fritzschall, a Buffalo Grove resident, is one of
the Holocaust survivor stories available at the new Take
A Stand Center that Xavier Ward wrote about. Photo
submitted
special education student
as homecoming queen,”
about Lincoln-Way Central’s
special homecoming
night took third in the
same category.
For The Tinley Junction,
Managing Editor
Bill Jones and freelance
journalist Laurie Fanelli
combined on a unique,
firsthand storytelling venture
after Paul McCartney
came to town that earned
them third place for Best
Performing Arts Story.
Freelance photographer
Bob Klein earned honorable
mention for a Tinley
Junction photo.
The Orland Park Prairie
was awarded a Feature
Photo award for the
second straight year and
for the second straight
year the photo came from
Adam Jomant.
Also a national champion,
again, is the Malibu
Surfside News, which won
its third top national prize
in the last two years.
Over 11 years of competitions,
22nd Century
Media publications have
earned 175 regional and national
awards for editorial
excellence, including more
than 30 first-place honors.
Township High School D113 Board of Education
Split board argues over interview policy
Erin Yarnall, Editor
The Township High
School District 113 Board
of Education is in the process
of searching for a
new superintendent and a
new board member after
the resignation of both
Superintendent Chris Dignam
and board member
David Small in May.
The district reached
a separation agreement
with Dignam, who was
under intense scrutiny
from D113 educators and
parents for alleged poor
leadership and questionable
initiatives. Small, a
supporter of Digman, resigned
after the agreement
was approved.
The board is accepting
resumes to fill Small’s
seat and had previously
announced they will hold
interviews in upcoming
closed sessions.
Some members of the
community who spoke at
the board’s regular meeting
Monday, June 11,
expressed displeasure at
the announcement that
interviews will be held in
closed session.
“I was hoping that you
might reconsider your
decision,” said Barbara
Sereda, who previously
ran for a seat on the board.
Sereda ran for the seat
vacated by former board
member Julie Gordon in
November, and she, along
with board member Gayle
Byck, were interviewed
in both closed and open
sessions, in what Sereda
reffered to as a “hybrid”
interview.
Tensions rose when
some board members suggested
again having a “hybrid”
interview for applicants
to fill Small’s seat.
But Board President
Elizabeth Garlovsky said
it goes against policy to
not hold the meetings
in closed session, and
board member Debra Hymen
said she believes the
board should focus on
adhering to policy rather
than appeasing members
of the community complaining
about a lack of
transparency.
The policy in question
states: “Immediately
following a vacancy on
the board, the board will
publicize it and accept
resumes from district residents
who are interested in
filling the vacancy. After
reviewing applications,
the board may invite the
prospective candidates
for personal interviews to
be conducted during duly
scheduled closed meetings.”
The other four members
of the board said they
would be open to holding
the interviews in a hybrid
format.
“If someone wants to
make that motion, go
ahead,” Garlovsky said,
“but to say that we’re
doing it to provide transparency,
I think what it’s
going to add is we’re going
to have to spend more
time, we’re going to have
to have another meeting to
have this all happen in the
short period of time that
Please see d 113, 17
North Shore businesswomen to
be honored at 22CM luncheon
Erica Gelman, Editorial Intern
The North Shore Women
in Business Awards is
accepting nominations
through July 31 for outstanding
women who
have undergone significant
accomplishments in
their careers and who also
live or work in the North
Shore.
Awards will be presented
on Sept. 13, at 22nd
Century Media’s inaugural
North Shore Women
in Business awards luncheon,
which will honor
13 North Shore women in
13 categories. The event
will take place at Pinstripes
in Northbrook.
Award winners will be
recognized both at the
event and also in 22nd
Century Media publications.
The event will feature
culture transformation
expert Jeanne Malnati as
a speaker. Malnati is the
CEO and founder of The
Culture Group, a company
which teaches communication
and leadership principles.
While 22nd Century
Media hosts similar
awards events throughout
the year, this event arose
because the company felt
accentuating women’s accomplishments
is also important.
To nominate someone
for The North Shore Women
in Business Awards,
visit 22ndcenturymedia.
com/nominate. Early-bird
tickets and information
about the event can be
found at 22ndCenturyMedia.com/women.