The Student Government Association named AACC’s student newspaper, Campus Current, Club of the Year on Monday.

The Club of the Year award is SGA’s highest honor for a student club, Adrianna Russell of Phi Theta Kappa said as she announced the prize at SGA’s Hawaiian-themed virtual honors and awards ceremony.

According to Russell, Campus Current’s staff of student journalists has consistently shown interest in helping the student body and creating a positive space for students to express themselves.

“I’m so proud of the Campus Current editorial staff, but I can’t say I’m surprised that they won,” the newspaper’s faculty adviser, Sharon O’Malley, said. “They work so hard, they’ve all become friends, and they’ve really made the best of this terrible pandemic situation. It really is a great club.”

Campus Current also was Club of the Year in 2019.

SGA handed out 11 awards to clubs, professors and students.

Engineering student and Super Science Club member Elise Porcelli won the Outstanding Club Member award.

“It’s been nothing but a joy,” Porcelli said. “Thank you, SGA.”

First-year business administration student Jameira Eades took home one of two Student Leadership Excellence awards.

“I don’t know what to say [except] thank you so much,” Eades said.

SGA President Ryan Kim, a second-year environmental science student, also won a Student Leadership Excellence award.

“It’s an honor to receive this award,” Kim said. “Thank you so much to all my vice presidents and all 13 senators in the SGA.”

The group chose math professor Thao-Nhi Luu for one of two Online Teaching Excellence awards.

“I consider myself very lucky to work with wonderful, hardworking students,” Luu said. “I’m so happy and so proud.”

English professor Timothy May also won an Online Teaching Excellence award.

“Thanks to anybody who turns their cameras on during class and the ones who also pretend to laugh at jokes,” May said. “I cannot thank you guys enough.”

PTK events coordinator Jarek Lamourt accepted the Sustainability Club Competition award on behalf of the campus chapter of the academic honor society.

“Our event was called Crafts and Bottles, which was [making] craft objects with water bottles, so we made an aquarium and a lava lamp,” Lamourt said. “We just shared and showed these crafts to anyone who wanted to show up and learn from them, just interesting ways for using water bottles besides just tossing them out in the recycling, or as most people do, in the trash.”

SGA co-adviser Caitlin Silver accepted the Adviser of the Year award.

“It’s been a joy to work with SGA,” Silver said. “I’m so grateful and I can’t wait to see what you all do to finish the year strong.”

The students handed the Outstanding Achievement award to Melissa Sumpter, the budget and operations specialist for the Office of Student Engagement.

“It’s been a pleasure working with all of you,” Sumpter said. “I wish everyone that’s graduating and returning the best for their future endeavors.”

Jose Barata, coordinator of AACC’s STEM program, received the Christine Stork Leadership Legacy Award, named for the former director of student engagement who retired in 2018 after more than 30 years at the college.

“To all the wonderful students at AACC and for my supportive colleagues, I say thank you so very much,” Barata said.

With 22 years working for the Financial Aid office, Pat Shoemaker won SGA’s Distinguished Service award. She did not attend the ceremony.

“We have a Zoom call full of extremely hard working and caring people and I’m very excited to recognize every single one of the award recipients,” SGA Executive Vice President Maridalys Cruz-Leon, a fourth-year media production student, said.