WATSONVILLE — The California School Boards Association (CSBA) recently selected Todd Guild, a longtime reporter for the Pajaronian, as one of 25 recipients of the Golden Quill Award, presented in recognition of fair, insightful and accurate reporting on public school news by print, broadcast and online news media representatives.
The CSBA’s inaugural Golden Quill Awards recognize outstanding education journalism, and highlight the essential role journalists play in increasing understanding of the objectives, operations, accomplishments, challenges and opportunities related to public schools.
Guild was presented a Certificate of Excellence in Reporting by the Pajaro Valley Unified School District (PVUSD) Board of Trustees at Wednesday night’s meeting. CSBA published the complete list of winners on its website, and in the spring edition of California Schools magazine.
Guild was honored by PVSUD for his ongoing coverage of the Pajaro Valley High School athletic field. From the time the District reached an agreement with the Watsonville Pilots Association in Sept. 2017, to announcing when the Planning Commission would vote on the project in April 2018, to the announcement of the field’s groundbreaking ceremony in February of this year, Guild has been a partner of PVUSD, documenting these achievements and keeping our community informed.
Guild was pleased with the recognition and said, “It has been a pleasure serving the District these past 12 years. Teachers, staff and administration I have met are so inspiring and make this community a better place.”
“As a board, we want to acknowledge Todd Guild for his many years of service to our school district. He has been instrumental in keeping our constituents abreast of the many initiatives we have introduced, our accomplishments as a district, as well as the challenges we have faced,” stated Maria Orozco, the trustee who submitted Guild’s nomination.
School districts nominate journalists for the Golden Quill Award by highlighting work that was reported in an accurate and insightful manner and identifying stories where the nominee demonstrated a holistic understanding of the local educational agency and its stakeholders. Nominees must also have developed relationships with trustees, and relevant district- and site-level staff, in addition to understanding the district’s mission, goals and strategic vision during the reporting process.
“Journalists who accurately and fairly explore the issues that districts and county offices of education face perform an essential public service by providing meaningful insight into public schools, one of our country’s core civic institutions,” said CSBA President Mike Walsh. “The Golden Quill Awards celebrate strong reporting that informs audiences and illuminated the critical issues facing local schools and California’s 6.2 million public school students.”
