More Student Journalism Honors

North Kansas City High School
Eleven students from North Kansas City High School traveled to Portland, OR, for the National Scholastic Press Assn. convention and competition. More than 4,000 students attend the convention representing 800+ schools from all across the country. Northtown brought home four awards!

The following received NSPA national journalism awards:
Senior Kelsey Brown – Excellent for Yearbook Layout
Senior Emily Geiman – Honorable Mention, Yearbook Sports Caption/Copy Writing
Senior Katelyn Kreszyn – Honorable Mention, Yearbook Student Life Caption/Copy Writing
Sophomore Delaney Hall – Honorable Mention, Yearbook Academics Caption/Copy Writing

North Kansas City High School students also were winners at the Missouri Interscholastic Press Awards for yearbook design and reporting. Students won awards for 14 of the 15 photos they entered, with all being awarded the two top award ratings of Show Me (highest rating) and Superior. In total, Northtown students won 27 state awards, more than doubling their total from last year.

State winners in newspaper were:
Sophomore Andrea Johnson, Show Me Award for New Writing
Sophomore Analyssa Lopez, Superior for News Writing
Senior Christian Abke, Superior for Single Page Design
Sophomore Andrea Johnson, Superior for Single Page Design
Senior Sawyer Hawkins, Superior for Sports Writing
Junior Taylor Shipman, Superior for Sports Writing

Overall Newspaper state rating - Excellent

Yearbook state winners:
Juniors Lacey Brewer and Jeff Brown, Show Me for Academic Section Design
Senior Travis Stewart, Show Me for Overall Theme/Concept
Senior Kathleen Stuart and Adrianne Calumpong, Show Me for Student Life Reporting
Junior Sam Williams, Show Me for Sports Design
Senior Dillon Brewer and Junior Katie Manning, Superior for Academic Section Reporting
Senior Courtney Woodward, Superior for Clubs/Organizations Design

Photography state winners:
Senior Kelsey Brown, Show Me for Academic Coverage (photo titled "Steady Hands")
Junior Shannon Coronado, Show Me for Color Photography (photo titled "Green Light")
Senior KayLynn Howard, Show Me for Sports Feature (photo titled "Pinned")
Junior Shannon Coronado, Superior for Color Photography (photo titled "Mini Mascot")
Junior Shannon Coronado, Superior for Color Photography (photo titled "Blue Eyes")
Senior Kelsey Brown, Superior for Creative/Artistic (photo titled "Shoo Fly")
Senior Kelsey Brown, Superior for Creative/Artistic (photo titled "Sandy")
Senior Kelsey Brown, Superior for Creative/Artistic (photo titled "Splash")
Senior Ida Thoresen, Superior for Creative/Artistic (photo titled "Creation")
Senior Ida Thoresen, Superior for Creative/Artistic (photo titled "Betrayal")
Senior Ida Thoresen, Superior for Creative/Artistic (photo titled "Trapped")
Senior Ida Thoresen, Superior for Creative/Artistic (photo titled "Jola")
Senior KayLynn Howard, Superior for Sports Action (photo titled "Game Face")
Senior KayLynn Howard, Superior for Sports Action (photo titled "Head Over Heels")

Editors are Thao Le and KayLynn Howard for yearbook and Christian Abke for newspaper.


Oak Park

Oak Park Senior Wins Dow Jones Scholarship
Late last week, the Oak Park journalism department held a senior-level writing competition. Senior Alexander Mallin earned the $500 Dow Jones Newspaper Fund scholarship to help him pursue a journalism major at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

The contest, sponsor by the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund, was available to Oak Park seniors as part of the awards package attached to journalism adviser Christina Geabhart's honor as a 2009 Dow Jones Newspaper Fund Distinguished Adviser of the Year.


Oak Park Student Journalist Ranks in the Top 10% Internationally
Senior Alex Mallin is ranked in the top 10 percent of entries in the 2010 International Writing and Photo Contest, sponsored by the American Society of Newspaper Editors and the Quill and Scroll International Honorary Society for High School Journalists. He earned this distinction on two contest entries.

The contest named Mallin a Sweepstakes Winner in the news story division for his work on a story covering the hacking of the district's mini-notes and the district's quick response to the event. He was chosen the top winner, from 19 national winners in a field of 225 competitors. Only one student in each of the 12 categories can be named as a Sweepstakes Winner. To put this in perspective, Mallin was one of only 12 students named as a Sweepstakes Winner in a competition of 2,585 entries.

He also earned National Winner status in sports story for his work on a story comparing summer band camp to football practice. His embedded journalistic piece earned him a spot among the 27 winners in a field of 285 competitors.

Sweepstakes Winners will receive a plaque noting their honor. National Winners receive a Gold Key award, and may compete for a $500 Edward J. Nell Memorial or a $1,500 George and Ophelia Gallup scholarship in journalism. A list of winners is available at: www.uiowa.edu/~quill-sc.


Oak Park Journalists Have Big Night at Spring Awards Night
Oak Park scholastic journalists brought home three first places and $750 in scholarship monies, plus other awards from the 2010 Spring Awards Night, sponsored by the Journalism Educators of Metropolitan Kansas City (JEMKC).

In the newspaper competition:
- Senior Mandy Nichols earned honorable mention for regular column writing for a series of reviews on the entertainment page.
- Sophomore Johnna Hensley earned honorable mention for an editorial cartoon featuring the mini-notes.
- Senior Alex Mallin took first place in informative feature for his story about the mini-note hacker and the district’s response.

In the broadcast competition:
- Seniors Kelsey Kaelin and Mark Wopata, and junior Kyle Quatrochi took second place in news feature story featuring the fall musical, "Cinderella."

In the yearbook competition:
- Sophomore Courtney Light and junior Mikayla Sheppard earned honorable mention for a clubs story about Student Council.
- Senior Kim Shields earned honorable mention for activities photography for a parkour image.
- Senior Brittany Parker earned honorable mention for secondary coverage design for a photo essay featuring the Welcome Back assembly.
- Sophomore Chelsie Yokum earned honorable mention for a student life story about movie night and warball.
- Sophomore Jordan Cook took third place in sports photography for a football image.
- Junior Derek Byrne took first place in portrait story for a story about a student who jam skates.
- Junior Molly Mendenhall took first place in portrait design for a spread covering seniors' school photos and a senior theater lighting manager.

Junior Derek Byrne also won the Sarah Ellen Campbell Media Workshop Scholarship for juniors on a yearbook staff. His $150 award will be applied to the summer media camp of his choice.

Senior Samantha Colhour won the Opal Heatherly Writing Award for seniors on a yearbook staff. She earned a $150 scholarship, sponsored by The Kansas City Star.

Senior Alex Mallin wrapped up his night by winning two scholarships. The first was the $150 Opal Heatherly Writing Award for seniors on a newspaper staff, also sponsored by The Kansas City Star. The second was the top scholarship honor given by JEMKC -- the $300 Excellence in Journalism Scholarship for seniors, sponsored by JEMKC.

For the fifth consecutive year, Oak Park students earned the Spirit Bag 'O Fun for their school and districtwide spirit during the awards ceremony.