Chosen because The Peddie School and Blair Academy together won a Gold 2019 Brilliance Award for Magazine Feature Article Writing. InspirED learned how two competitors came together to create this award-winner from Carrie Harrington, Editor, Peddie Chronicle and Suzy Logan, Director of Communications, Blair Academy.

The Great idea that began on a Beach

[Carrie] I couldn’t stop thinking about a Class Notes update from Peddie alumnus Clarence Kugler ’63. Clarence told us about his 14-year friendship with Blair alumnus Don Mattuci ’45. The two met while walking their dogs at a dog park in Deerfield Beach, Florida and became fast friends. I knew that there must be other stories of Peddie-Blair relationships out there! It was just a matter of taking the time to find them. 

[Suzy] When Carrie reached out last summer and pitched the idea, I immediately loved it! As a Blair alumna, I have fond memories of our rivalry with Peddie (even if my JV tennis match lost us the Cup in 1996). The more we researched various connections, it became clear that the relationships forged by our respective alumni and parents remain very special to graduates of all class years.

Rivalry Based on Respect

[Carrie] The Peddie-Blair rivalry is the oldest prep school rivalry in New Jersey and centers around a day of athletic competitions in the fall. We wanted to show that our intense rivalry is steeped in respect. In this culture of good sportsmanship, rivals become friends and partners, and family members become rivals. 

[Suzy] Immediately, we saw in our interviews that good humor and self-deprecation were at the heart of every rival relationship, no matter how competitive. Whether we were talking to friends, spouses, co-workers, siblings or cousins who attended Blair or Peddie, everyone reflected on our schools’ rivalry fondly, underscoring the love and respect that the Bucs and Falcons have for one another, no matter who has the Kelley-Potter Cup (The Kelley-Potter Cup, named for F. Edward Potter, Jr., former headmaster of Peddie, and James R. Kelley, former headmaster of Blair Academy, is awarded to the school that wins the most athletic events on Peddie-Blair Day.)

Tag team, Tandem and Talent

[Carrie] I wasn’t sure what Suzy would think about the idea of co-producing a feature article. But she embraced the idea right away! Suzy is patient and fantastic to work with, and that made the process fun. We were on different schedules for our magazines. She was in the middle of getting an issue of the Blair Bulletin off to the printer, and I was in the research phase for our next issue. Yet she still made time to schedule interviews with the alumni we agreed to feature in our story. We worked off a shared document to keep track of our interviews and background information about alumni. And we also shared notes from our interviews.

[Suzy] The collaboration with Carrie was so much fun, and she was incredible to work with. We found we are a great tag team when it comes to interviewing, and it was refreshing to write something in tandem with such a skilled writer and storyteller, all the while knowing we were telling the same story but from different angles. I only wish our editorial calendars had lined up better, so we could have published at the same time.

So Was It A Winner AT Home?

[Carrie] We decided to make this our cover story. We were nervous about putting our rival school’s mascot on our cover, but it worked out well. We received great feedback from our readers! And I made a new friend.

[Suzy] We heard from a number of alums, faculty members and parents that this was their favorite story in the Bulletin because it was fun and easy to read, and the camaraderie between our two schools really came through and reminded readers of their own days competing against the Falcons. It is clear the piece touched people and, on a personal level, I really enjoyed partnering with Carrie and getting to know the Peddie communications team a bit more through the process.

[Carrie] I was happy that the judges recognized the novelty of school rivals allying on this scale. It felt pretty momentous to us. I especially appreciated the judges’ comment that the story “was a fun way to get to the heart of what connects rather than divides human beings.” 

Competitors as Collaborators for the Win

[Suzy] So much of what we publish about our schools’ rivalry is about competition only, so it was really refreshing to have a different take that underscores the connection between our schools. We so seamlessly collaborated and produced complementary pieces that struck the same tone, which only reinforced the fact that this feature was very different than anything we had read in peer school alumni magazines before.

[Suzy] In the second year we have tied for the Kelley-Potter Cup, we found a joint Brilliance Awards win for this article ironic and very fitting. We are excited to see our collaboration recognized, and it is gratifying to know that the experience of putting this article together and winning this award have led to new friendships between our respective communications departments.

TEAM

Carrie Harrington, Editor, Peddie Chronicle
Suzy Logan, Director of Communications, Blair Academy
Wendi Patella, Director, Strategic Marketing and Communications, The Peddie School

Congratulations, Peddie and Blair! You are brilliant!

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