Students from the three Upper School media programs– broadcast journalism, the yearbook, and The Pharcyde were inducted into Quill and Scroll, the international honor society for high school journalists, on April 29th.
Ten upperclassmen were celebrated during a luncheon ceremony held in the lobby of Benjamin Hall. Each was selected by their respective media program’s advisors: Mr. Archer, Mrs. Hewitt, or Dr. Peruggia.
This year’s inductees for broadcast journalism were seniors Fredericka D’Loughy, Wilhelmina D’Loughy, Victoria Powell, Seamus Rooney, and Samson Scarola. For yearbook, the inductees were senior Ava Crawford and juniors Catherine Hicks and Alyssa Stump. The junior co-editors in chief of The Pharcyde, Haley Roth and Chase Zur, rounded out the group.
This fourth class of Inductees into the School’s chapter of Quill and Scroll represents a wide spectrum of interests and accomplishments, all linked by their shared dedication to the principles of the Society: truth, learning, leadership, loyalty, initiative, integrity, judgment, and friendship.
Eligibility for induction into the Society is strict. New members must be Juniors or Seniors, meet academic benchmarks, be recommended by an advisor or teacher in their discipline, possess a track record of superior work in some phase of journalism or school media work, and have actively participated in journalism or media courses and activities for at least 3 semesters.
As part of the luncheon, a keynote address was delivered by the School’s Assistant Director of Communication and former editor of The Pharcyde, Mrs.Marti Lotman. Mrs. Lotman recounted a defining moment of her academic career, noting that former Assistant Head of School, Mr. Ken Didsbury, had a plaque in his room that challenged: “You have a voice. How will you use it?”
“Please continue to use your voices. Sharpen them into deftly tuned instruments. Your voice – even if it’s one of dissent – is important and deserves to be heard. Our institutions are most strengthened by those brave enough to cast a critical gaze upon them in the spirit of positive transformation,” Mrs. Lotman intoned to a rapt audience of inductees and invited faculty.
Mrs. Lotman included a reminder to students to appreciate the guidance their teachers provide: “Benjamin has always been marked by a tremendous group of selfless educators who are willing to lend their voices to students when called.”
The ten inductees now join twenty alumni of the School’s media programs who have been inducted since the chapter received a charter in the Spring of 2021. Many of these members have continued their participation in journalistic endeavors during their collegiate careers.
