Howard Brodsky of CCA Global Partners recently presented the Brodsky Prize to Kelsey Sweet, a junior at Londonderry High School. Courtesy photo

LONDONDERRY – Kelsey Sweet, a junior at Londonderry High School, recently received a $5,000 scholarship and the prestigious Brodsky Prize for excellence in student journalism.

During the competition, Sweet was recognized for her “well-sourced writing, initiative and journalistic curiosity.”

She is currently the news editor of the Londonderry High’s student newspaper, The Lancer Spirit, and has been writing for the paper for the past two years. Going into her senior year, Sweet will hold the position of news chief.

“Kelsey is very driven and hard-working, I’m incredibly proud of her for winning the prestigious Brodsky Prize,” said Mary DeWinkeleer, faculty advisor of The Lancer Spirit. “She is the kind of student who seems to be everywhere and who isn’t afraid to talk to anyone. She is able to cover a wide range of events, people and topics for our student news publication. This award is a testament to her hard work and talent and I can’t wait to see all she will accomplish in her future.”

Sweet also said DeWinkeleer was instrumental in guiding her to winning the Brodsky Prize.

“She has made me a better writer and listener and I am truly blessed to have had her support in and out of the classroom,” said Sweet.

She said sharing human interest stories is what she enjoys the most about journalism.

“Meeting people and listening to their stories, giving a voice to causes that impact our school community and even asking the hard questions to the administration,” said Sweet. “We live in an age with so much misinformation out there. I want to continue to be part of the solution by reporting timely, factual news and helping younger students learn to do the same.”

Since joining The Lancer Spirit as a sophomore, some of Sweet’s bigger stories have included covering the structural damage to the gymnasium, which caused the school to be evacuated and the College Board website crashing just as advanced placement exams were getting underway. She has also cast a light on the Chemo Project and The Blue Star Lancers.

In April, Sweet had the opportunity to attend the two-day Harvard Crimson Journalism Summit.

“After that weekend, I was certain that studying journalism in college would be my plan,” she said. “As far as career aspirations, there are so many facets in the field of journalism, I’m sure you’ll find me in one of them.”

Josefina Eliessetch, a junior at Kearsarge Regional High School in Sutton, finished in second place with a $1,000 award while Eleanor Rioux, a senior at Manchester Central High School, finished in third place and was awarded $500.

The Brodsky Prize was established in 2018 by father and son, Howard and Jeffrey Brodsky. Their vision for the prize was to foster “boldness and innovation” among student journalists. During the 1990s, Jeffrey served as co-editor of his high school newspaper, The Little Green, at Manchester Central High School.

After high school, Jeffrey went on to earn his Bachelor’s degree in political science from Washington University. He was also one of 12 students to be selected for the Oral History Master’s degree program at Columbia University. After graduating from Columbia, Jeffrey quickly established himself as an accomplished journalist and oral historian. His work has appeared in The Boston Globe, The Los Angeles Times, the Associated Press, USA Today, Bloomberg News and The Wall Street Journal.

Tragically, Jeffrey passed away from Parkinson’s disease in July 2023 at the age of 49.

“I am truly blessed to be a small part of the mission that Mr. Brodsky and Jeffrey created,” said Sweet. “I will be a senior next year at Londonderry and my plan is to major in journalism in college. Although I never got a chance to meet Jeffrey, I will continue to read his works and let them inspire me on my own journalism path.”

During the past seven years, the Brodsky Prize has awarded more than $70,000 to high school journalists.