Journalism students from WSHR’s studios at Sachem North and Sachem East were recognized among the region’s top young broadcasters during the annual Broadcast Alliance for Senior High (BASH) event at Hofstra University, continuing the station’s rise as a leader in student media and multiplatform storytelling across Long Island.

The BASH Awards, hosted by Hofstra’s Lawrence Herbert School of Communication, bring together high school broadcast and journalism students from Long Island, New York City, and the surrounding metropolitan area for a full day of workshops, networking, and awards recognizing excellence in student media production.

WSHR earned third place in the Best Short News category for its “Sachem Snapshots” social media feature, hosted by Sachem North senior Alyssa Tappin. The multiplatform series became a staple of WSHR’s digital coverage, highlighting school and community stories through short-form video storytelling designed for social audiences.

In addition to being recognized at the awards ceremony, WSHR students and leadership played a visible role in the educational workshop portion of the event. WSHR General Manager Chris R. Vaccaro led a discussion focused on multiplatform storytelling and the evolution of student journalism in the digital age. 

Using Sachem’s student media program as a model, Vaccaro spoke to students about the importance of daily content creation across radio, web, social media, and video platforms, emphasizing how modern student journalists must learn to engage audiences in multiple formats.

Joining Vaccaro on the panel were Tappin and Sachem East sophomore Mael Jerez, who shared their firsthand experiences working in WSHR’s student newsroom over the past year. The students discussed covering live events, producing digital content, reporting stories across the Sachem community, and developing professional communication skills through hands-on media experience.

The presentation reflected the continued growth of WSHR’s multiplatform journalism initiative, which has expanded across Sachem North and Sachem East while providing students with opportunities to create real-world content for FM radio, social media, streaming, and web distribution.

Founded in 2017, BASH has grown into one of the premier student broadcasting showcases in the New York metropolitan area, combining industry-led workshops with awards honoring excellence in television, radio, film, and multimedia storytelling.