Winners Named in WSU High School Journalism Competition

PULLMAN, Wash. — Student journalists from Washington and Idaho won first prizes in the 2^nd Annual High School Journalism Competition, a part of the Edward R. Murrow Symposium, to be held April 13 at Washington State University.

“The body of work submitted this year was simply outstanding,” said John Irby, associate professor and journalism degree program coordinator in the Murrow School of Communication. Organizers received 139 entries, up from 87 a year ago. Winners of first, second, third and honorable mention prizes came from Washington, Idaho, Montana,  California, Hawaii and New York.

The winner for the best overall edition was Jagwire, published by Emerald Ridge High School, South Hill, Wash. “The newspaper touts itself as ‘an open forum for student expression,’ and it accomplished that position well with a themed edition on race. Stories addressed issues of ignorance perpetuating racism, interracial dating and affirmative action – heady stuff for high school students,” Irby said. “The newspaper is full of high-quality writing and has a clean and easy format and design style to follow.”

Taking second place for best edition was the Apple Leaf, Wenatchee High School. Sandstorm from Richland High School placed third. The Hornet from Enumclaw High School and the Saxon Globe from Ferris High School in Spokane received honorable mention in the best edition category.

The first-prize winner for best news article was “District Cancels GSA Dance,” written by Sara Butler from Ferris High School. James Tinney, director of media relations at WSU who judged finalists in this category, said, “This article takes on an issue that clearly generated a lot of interest both in the school community and the Spokane area, the cancellation of the ‘Gayest Valentine’s Day Dance.’  It explains the situation in an even-handed way, including interviews with people who were advocates for the dance and with an administrator explaining the reasons behind the cancellation. All in all, a well-written and well-reported news article.”

“Protest in Puyallup,” by Katina Mathieson and Brittany Gentile, Emerald Ridge High School in South Hill, won second prize in this category. Placing third was Laurel Chen, Westlake High School in Thornwood, N.Y., for “Let the Dreams Begin.” T. Braunstein from Newport High School, Bellevue, and Brian Schraum, Enumclaw High School won honorable mention awards in this category.

Winning the top award in sports writing was Kayla McCulley, Newport High School in Bellevue, for the article “Grad Earns Silver Medal in Greek Games,” a story about a Newport High School graduate who rowed in the Olympics. Rod Commons, sports information director for WSU who judged the finalists, said, “I liked her opening and the fact she recapped some information in the second graph. The story moves well, holds interest and does a nice job of chronicling the athlete’s background while making the story pertinent to today.”

The second-place winner for sports writing was Roman Stubbs, Great Falls (Mont.) High School, for the article “Hard Knock Life.” Dylan Hall from Peninsula High School in Gig Harbor placed third for “Teens Find Niche with a Fish.” Corissa Hutchinson from Mead High School in Spokane and Lynndsey Miller, Richland High School, won honorable mention.

The first-place winner in feature writing was Griffin Dietz from Richland High School for “Miracles Do Happen: Life Can Change in a Moment.” Tim Steury, editor of Washington State Magazine who judged the finalists, said, “This develops into a straight-forward story well told. The author makes effective use of quotes, and the story has a good solid structure.”

Don Blonsky from Heritage High School in Vancouver, Wash., took second place in this category for “Living One Smile at a Time.” Andrew Greenberg from Torrey Pines High School in San Diego placed third with “Sponge Bob Soaks Up Sexual Criticism.”

Christine Perez from Moanalua High School in Honolulu, and Jenna Zweng, Bellevue High School won honorable mention.

The top photo award went to Yarrow Frank from Sandpoint (Idaho) High School for “Wakeboarding.” Doug Garcia, Web design manager for the WSU Office of Marketing Communications who
judged the finalists, said, “Yarrow not only has a good and developing eye for composition but has produced technically excellent photographs. Her use of contrast and close-up shots to capture the essence of the subject will continue to make her an excellent photographer in the future.”

The second-place winner for best photo was A.J. Ojeda, Richland High School, for “Wall Challenges Strengths.” Laurel Chen, Westlake High School, Thornwood, N.Y., took third for “A Dip in the Fountain of Youth.” Lauren Wooster from Peninsula High School in Gig Harbor, and Sara Butler from Ferris High School were awarded honorable mention.

First-place winners receive a $50 gift certificate to “The Bookie,” the student-owned campus bookstore and gift shop at WSU; a personalized certificate and school-awarded plaque and a complimentary ticket to the student scholarship banquet April 13.

Second- and third-place winners and those earning honorable mention will receive a personalized certificate. All high school journalists are also invited to attend a free high school awards luncheon with an adviser or parent earlier in the day and attend panel discussions throughout the symposium.

See http://www.wsu.edu/murrow/events.html for a complete list of Murrow Symposium events.