When she heard her name being called by her Grade 5 teacher, Sally Pitt got up and proudly accepted the award for her story about puppies and the Humane Society.
That day, and that award, could have been what decided the future for the one-day journalist, news announcer and court reporter.
“Ever since that day, I loved writing,” she laughed, recalling the story.
Pitt, who now works for CBC Television in P.E.I, has been in the business for over 20 years. She has worked in newspapers, magazine and radio.
Her love for writing and her sister's suggestion of journalism led Pitt to the University of Kings College in Halifax after high school. She was editor of the school's paper, which she loved. After graduation she did freelancing for magazines.
Jobs at places came and went, including the Eastern Graphic, an Island weekly newspaper.
One of her favourite things about working at the Graphic was working with Jim MacNeill, editor of the paper.
"It's the best first job to have," she said.
MacNeill let her learn, fail, and learn from failing. And when she did make a mistake, he wouldn't say I told you so.
Pitt said MacNeill also had a great sense of humour. After covering a story and being threatened to get sued, MacNeill’s only response was not to worry about it.
“You're not a true journalist unless you get threatened with a law suit at least once,” he told her.
"But the most important thing I learned from him was never be afraid to ask questions,” she said.
Pitt stayed at the Graphic for a couple years, then moved to the Scotia Sun, a Cape Breton paper where she worked for two years. Moving around didn't bother her.
“You want to try different things to see where you fit,” she said.
And Pitt did find where she fits. CBC Radio in P.E.I had a job opening. She stayed for seven years until she became involved in television, where she has been for the past 13 years.
Although Pitt has the skill to do national reporting, which she has considered in the past, she loves the hours and type of work CBC P.E.I. provides.
Working in a place like Toronto would be too busy, involve a lot of travel, and she wouldn't be able to see her family as much as she does now, said Pitt.
Her devotion to her husband and two kids also keeps her here.
“Every choice you make is about negotiation.”
Being able to do something new every day and telling people something they didn't know is Pitt's favourite part of the job.
“The thing I like here is that you don't have to stick to just courts.”
She also loves writing about the environment, health and education.
Although she gets to write different stories every day, Pitt is well known for her court reporting.
Sitting in the courtroom is part of her daily routine. It’s a routine she loves and excels at, says CBC TV executive producer Tracy Lightfoot.
Lightfoot has worked with Pitt since starting at CBC P.E.I. just over a year ago and it didn't take long for her to see Pitt's talent.
"She's really terrific on general reporting, but her niche would be court reporting," she said.
Pitt's strengths, like keeping in touch with contacts across the Island, are keys to the newsroom and the stories they get, Lightfoot said. Her ability to get people to open up and talk about difficult stories also makes the path to the evening news hour clearer.
Director of prosecutions of P.E.I Cindy Wedge has known Pitt for about 10 years.
“She has great integrity. Sally is a reporter I trust,” she said.
Pitt understands the rules of the courts, and respects those rules, which helps gain the trust of those involved, she said.
“She understands criminal law enough that she gets it right. That’s all we ask,” said Wedge.
Court reporting isn't as glamorous as it may seem, said Pitt. Things like threats are common and Pitt realizes there may be danger if she's not careful.
Once she was working on a story and was threatened if she aired it. She went ahead. Nothing serious happened. There were a couple of phone calls in the middle of the night, but they stopped eventually. She also had a few unexpected pizza deliveries show up at her door in the early morning hours, but she simply ignored the harassment.
Still, she takes precautions, keeping her phone number off the staff sheet and keeping her car door locked at all times.
"If there's an issue, I don't get so close so it's a threat," she said.
“And remember, key out,” she said while holding her key in between her thumb and forefinger after locking her car.
Despite that, of all the media jobs she has done, television is her favourite so far.
"TV can be a powerful medium. It's the next best thing to being there," she said.
Pitt said since Compass, the one-hour daily news show, is very popular on the Island, it's important to have support and cooperation to run smoothly.
And they have just that.
Once, when Pitt was working on a wind turbine story, the man she planned to have on the show cancelled at the last minute. It took her just five minutes to get somebody else.
"People here really feel like Compass is their show," said Pitt.
Bruce Rainnie, the CBC TV news anchor, agrees and gives Pitt a big piece of the credit.
"We have the best supper-time show in the country because of precision and care and it wouldn't be that way without people like Sally.”
Rainnie and Pitt have been colleagues for four and a half years.
Sometimes, when Rainnie is away, Pitt fills in as anchor.
"There's lots of jokes. Many little things only behind the scenes people would understand," said Rainnie.
"It's kind of cool because I know I can take pride in our show when I'm gone.”
The change of pace is something Pitt also enjoys.
Although Pitt loves her job, she doesn't know where the future will take her.
Her love for the station and the Island may keep her here for quite a while.
"I love P.E.I and I can't imagine getting the satisfaction from my job anywhere else. I’m very lucky," she said.
