College of the Ozarks Students Receive Media Awards

The College of the Ozarks student-produced newscast, “The Point,” received awards from the Mid-America Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) in its college media competition for work produced during 2020. 

Erin Hayes, professor of the practice of journalism and media, is the advisor for “The Point.” 

"It is so encouraging to see our talented, hard-working, ethical student journalists honored by professionals in the news industry,” Hayes said. “The vocation of journalism needs an infusion of truth-seekers and objective truth-tellers, and these wonderful students are ready to join those ranks and lead by example. They give me hope for the future of journalism."

The list of awards are below:
News Report-Light News 
Karsten Armstrong junior history major from Worthington, Minnesota, and Alexander Olsen, junior culinary arts major from Florissant, Missouri, were the Winners in this category for “Game Stop.”  

Nate Hankins senior journalism major from Jackson, Missouri and Lizzie Miller, 2020 journalism graduate from Millington, Tennessee received Honorable Mention for “Christmas Truce.” 

Multimedia Journalist  
Savannah Hampton, 2020 journalism graduate from Allendale, Michigan, received an Honorable Mention for “Dairy Champions.” 
Non-Fiction-Short Form  

Verve Reposar, junior video production major from Walnut Shade, Missouri, and Karsten Armstrong received Honorable Mention for “In Memory of Dr. Keeter.”  

Magazine Program  
Avery Reed, senior journalism major from Belleville, Illinois, Lizzie Miller, and Karsten Armstrong were Winners in this category for “Christmas Special.” 

Talent  
Avery Reed received an Honorable Mention in the Talent category. 

Photographer  
The photojournalists of “The Point” were the Winners in the Photography category. Fourteen students were apart of the award-winning team: Karsten Armstrong, Aric Avey, Sarah Best, Madison Botta, Matthew Clark, Bethany French, Anna Ginnings, Nate Hankins, Nathan Jeffries, Jaden Lester, Alexander Olson, Avery Reed, Verve Reposar, and Abby Riffel.  

Editor 
Verve Reposar was the Winner in the Editor category. 

Writer  
Verve Reposar was the Winner in the Writer category. 

Walter Cronkite Scholarship
In addition to the Student Production Awards, Mid-America NATAS recognizes the work of outstanding media students through the prestigious Walter Cronkite Scholarship program.  This year, five students from the five-state region were awarded a Walter Cronkite Scholarship.
Two of those students are from College of the Ozarks: Avery Reed and Verve Resposar. 

College of the Ozarks students receive Society of Professional Journalists Region 7 Mark of Excellence Awards
Students of “The Point” also received Society of Journalists Region 7 Mark of Excellence Awards for work produced during 2020. 

Television Feature Reporting
Winner: “Tony Melendez” - by Ethan Harrison, video production graduate, from Mountain Grove, Missouri; Nate Hankins; Verve Reposar; and Jackson Bliss, junior video production major from Branson, Missouri.

Broadcast Feature Videography
Winner: “Virtual homecoming” - by Verve Reposar; former student Olivia Best from Berryville, Arkansas; Sarah Best senior journalism major from Berryville, Arkansas; and Nathaniel Jeffries.