Iron Blade Recipient of Four American Scholastic Press Association Awards

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FERRUM, VA, June 13, 2024 – The American Scholastic Press Association (ASPA) has announced the 2023-24 Scholastic Newspaper Awards, and Ferrum College’s Iron Blade was the recipient of four awards, earning two first place prizes along with two special awards.

For the first of the two awards, First Place (digital edition) in the nation with Special Merit, the Iron Blade was the only publication to earn this distinction. The second award was First Place (print) in the nation among Colleges/Universities within the same enrollment size as Ferrum. 

“The goal is to make the Iron Blade the News of Choice in the growing Ferrum Village,” said David Campbell, Editor of the Iron Blade and Assistant Professor of English and Journalism.
Two of the most distinct awards the Iron Blade won are; The Most Outstanding College Newspaper and Best Community Service. The Iron Blade was the only newspaper in the nation to win both awards–of any enrollment size.

The Best Community Service award was given due to the Ferrum Forward and Friends of Ferrum Park (FFOP) stories the Iron Blade covered, which now even distributes to the businesses in the town of Ferrum. 

“Coming into the school year with only seven on staff, I believe we overachieved any expectations we set on ourselves,” said Senior Kyle Markowitz, who is an Editor with the newspaper. “It’s amazing that the American Scholastic Press Association has seen and admired our hard work.”

In addition to these awards, three individual staff members earned a Best of SNO, which showcases the best student journalism from members of the SNO network. This year they had 16,583 submitted stories, publishing only 2,452 of them. Out of 594 schools that submitted a story, 353 had at least one story published. 

From Ferrum College, Iron Blade Sports Editor Cody Gibson had two of his stories published on the SNO website. Hanging 10 on the Football Field and Orchestra Appalachia Takes Off. Editor Kyle Markowitz also saw two of his stories published, Fedison Takes First Place at NCHC Conference and Senior Lax Player Calls Ferrum Light at the end of her Tunnel. Franklin Melton, had his story Championships on and off the Mat in the March edition of articles published.

“Our staff worked extremely hard to put the college and community’s best foot forward,” stated Markowitz. “We covered anything from campus events and athletics to organizations throughout the Village. With our staff being a combination of student-athletes, veteran staff members, commuting students, and first time journalists, our hard work on campus and in the community paid off. I’m excited for what’s to come with our now nationally recognized paper.”

Staff members are Grace Weaver, Eliza Copes, Darwin Randolph, Kyle Markowitz (Editor), Franklin Melton, Scout Lynch, Refentse Maselwa (Editor) Cody Gibson (Sports Editor).

“I am immensely proud of the Iron Blade, Ferrum College’s student newspaper, for their continued pursuit of excellence in their publications,” said Ferrum College President Dr. Mirta Martin. “Their recent awards not only highlight their exceptional quality but also signify to the world the high standards and dedication of our talented students and their gifted advisor, Dave Campbell.”
###Photo provided by Professor Dave Campbell

ADDITIONAL CONTACT:Dave CampbellAssistant Professor of English and JournalismJournalism Program CoordinatorFerrum College[email protected]
More About Ferrum College:Ferrum College is a private, United Methodist-affiliated, liberal arts institution offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs, located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Ferrum, VA. The Ferrum experience is rich with opportunities for internships; hands-on learning; research and study-abroad opportunities as a first-year student and beyond; and excellent financial aid and scholarship packages. Ferrum College is also the first and only higher education institution in Virginia to extend the Ferrum Promise, guaranteeing that students transferring to the College with an appropriate associate’s degree will graduate with a four-year degree within two years of transfer. Last Spring, Ferrum announced The Panther Promise offering free tuition to qualifying Virginia students.