The Chieftain, the school newspaper of Piscataway High School, recently won five awards for outstanding student journalism by the Garden State Scholastic Press Association – including a first-place finish in the Photo Gallery category.

The awards honor the work of the Chieftain staff in the 2023-24 school year.

“I couldn’t have been prouder of the job that The Chieftain student reporters, editors, and photographers did last year and continue to do this year!” said Adrian Lodjko, a PHS English teacher and The Chieftain’s adviser. “That they earned multiple awards from various student journalism organizations was a testament to their drive and dedication.”

The first-place award in Photo Gallery went to Onari Kahandawa of the Class of 2024, for her photo essay “Girl Up Club Produces Positive Post-its for Women’s History Month.” It used creative photography to highlight a project to post uplifting notes and signs around the school by the PHS Girl Up Club, which provides “a platform for young women to come together and support gender justice and girls’ empowerment.”

The Chieftain also won four Honorable Mention awards:

• Overall Site Experience: The Chieftain
• Opinion Writing: Roshni Patnaik (Class of 2025) “Nurses Across America Deserve Better Treatment”
• Photography: Arjun Koura (Class of 2024) “Chinese Culture Club Hosts Lunar New Year Celebration”
• Photography: Wallace Lau (Class of 2024) “Class of 2027 Celebrate their First Year at PHS at Second Annual Freshman Field Day”

“Almost all of the individual award winners and the editors of the newspaper last year were PHS seniors, and had been on The Chieftain for four years,” Lojko said. “Each year they honed their craft, so by the time they became seniors, they were extremely practiced in their field and were producing very polished work. It was so satisfying to see their efforts formally recognized!”

The Chieftain includes student articles, photo essays, podcasts, and reviews. All content is available through a redesigned website at phschieftain.com or through a free app, Student News Source. The staff formally releases one issue per marking period, but stories are published on a rolling basis.

The Chieftain previously received two accolades for outstanding achievement in spring 2024 from Student News Online, a nationwide student journalism organization. The Chieftain
won the prestigious “Site Excellence” certification – one of only three NJ student newspapers to have earned this distinction for their redesigned website.

The staff was also recognized on the organization’s “Best of SNO” website, which showcases standout individual examples of student journalism from over 500 participating schools. That recognition was also for Kahandawa’s photo essay about the Girl Up Club.

“Winning these awards is just ... wow!” she said after last spring’s recognition. “It feels amazing to know that our hard work and dedication have been recognized. I see the Chieftain continuing to thrive, pushing boundaries, and becoming an even bigger and better platform for student voices.”

Lojko marveled at the legacy The Chieftain is building:

“They have established a standard of excellence for new Chieftain reporters to aim for as The Chieftain continues to grow.”