Centurion newspaper won 16 awards
Bucks County Community College’s Centurion newspaper won 16 awards in the Keystone Student Media Awards Contest, bringing tally to 200+
Bucks County Community College’s student newspaper, The Centurion, which has been launching journalism careers for more than 60 years, has won 16 awards in the 2025 Keystone Student Media Awards contest, including first place in ongoing news coverage, public service reporting, feature writing and website.
Since 2010, The Centurion has won more than 200 awards in the contest run by the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association. It competes in Division III, which represents community colleges across Pennsylvania.
The Centurion won awards for, among other things, coverage of the 2024 presidential election, the search for a new president at the College, a series of articles about the challenges facing working students, a solar eclipse that dazzled millions of Americans, and a visit to the campus by a group of Tibetan monks.
In addition to written works, the paper won first place in the Cartoon-Graphic Illustration category for a comic strip called “Dog Life,” first in Feature Photos for pictures of the visiting monks, first in Layout and Design and first in the Video Story category for a report about the hidden underground history of Tyler Hall, the historic mansion located in the heart of the Newtown campus.
The Centurion also won the contest’s sweepstakes honor, given to the paper that wins the most awards in its division.
Centurion editor in chief Kassandra Castillo, who is credited on four of the awards, said it has been inspiring to be associated with a student-run school newspaper.
“I’ve been working on The Centurion for two semesters and I’ve learned so much in the process,” said the journalism major. “Print and online media hold so much relevance in our world, and I’m honored to be joining a field where we bring community engagement while spreading local news.”
Tony Rogers, the College’s journalism professor and faculty advisor to the student newspaper, said he couldn't be more proud of his students.
“Most of the students on The Centurion take a full load of classes and work jobs outside school, yet still manage to do award-winning journalism,” said Rogers. “Even after 27 years as a professor here, I'm still amazed by their seemingly boundless energy, creativity and dedication.”
The students received their awards at the Student Keystone Media Awards Luncheon on Thursday, April 3, at WITF’s Public Media Center in Harrisburg, Pa.
For more information about the journalism program at Bucks County Community College, visit the Journalism Associate of Arts program page. You can also explore the award-winning student newspaper, The Centurion, online.
Below is the complete list of the 2025 Keystone awards won by the Centurion:
First Place
Ongoing News Coverage
Election 2024
Anna Sztenderowicz, Kassandra Castillo, Raeanne Raccagno, Christian Grosso and Jordan Evans
Second Place
Ongoing News Coverage
Bucks Searches for New President
Anna Sztenderowicz and Christian Grosso
First Place
Public Service/Enterprise Package
Election 2024
Anna Sztenderowicz, Kassandra Castillo, Raeanne Raccagno and Christian Grosso
Second Place
Public Service/Enterprise Package
Special Report: Working Students
Raeanne Raccagno, Daulton Parry, Christian Grosso, Jesse Fischer and Cristopher Ramirez
First Place
Feature Story
Solar Eclipse Dazzles the Sky Across America
Christian Grosso
Honorable Mention
Feature Story
Welcoming President Jones to Bucks
Anna Sztenderowicz
First Place
Personality Profile
Music Teacher Jazzes Up His Classes
Raeanne Raccagno
Second Place
Personality Profile
Khush Patel Thrives Under Pressure
Cristopher Ramirez
Honorable Mention
Personality Profile
Professor Rackin Keeps Busy with Writing, Readings & Teaching
Jesse Fischer
First Place
Review
DreamWorks' 'The Wild Robot' Has the Makings of an Animated Classic
Cristopher Ramirez
First Place
Cartoon/Graphic Illustration
Dog Life
Connor Sturza
First Place
Feature Photo
Tibetan Monks Bring Interfaith World Peace Mandala
Kassandra Castillo
First Place
Photo Story
Tibetan Monks Visit Bucks
Kassandra Castillo
First Place
Layout and Design
The Centurion Vol 59 issue 6 layout
Raeanne Raccagno and Arianna Keith
First Place Website
bucks-news.com
Christian Grosso, Madison Kifolo and Raeanne Raccagno
First Place Video Story
Discovering the Hidden Underground History of Tyler Hall
Raeanne Raccagno