Minneapolis / Nov. 21, 2011 – Colorado publications and individual students held their own in various competitions during the Nov. 17-20 JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention in Minneapolis.
Best of Show
The Best of Show competition is open to all media represented by at least one student at the convention, and in most categories ten places are announced during the NSPA Awards Ceremony on Saturday afternoon.
Colorado place winners included:
Newspapers 13-16 pp
7. Rocky Mountain Highlighter, Rocky Mountain HS, Fort Collins, Colo.
Cassa Niedringhaus, editor
Stephen Wahlfeldt, adviser
Newsmagazine
10. The Rock, Rock Canyon HS, Highlands Ranch, Colo.
Lauren Scheirman, editor
Kristi Rathbun, adviser
Literary Magazine
7. The Looking Glass, Rocky Mountain HS, Fort Collins, Colo.
Colleen Maline/Jim Glenn, advisers
Junior High Yearbook
2. Imprints, Mesa MS, Castle Rock, Colo.
Ally Clancy, editor
Melissa Larson, adviser
3. Eagle Eye View, Sierra MS, Parker, Colo.
Emily Biffinger, Tyler Eatherton, editors
Jed Palmer, adviser
Yearbook 225-274 pp
6. The Black and Gold, Rock Canyon HS, Highlands Ranch, Colo.
Jackie Marthouse, Lauren Packer, Brianna Vail, editors
Kristi Rathbun, adviser
Individual National Contest results
NSPA partners with various professional organizations in individual contests in writing, design, photography and multimedia. Colorado winners included:
Photo of the Year – Junior High / Middle School
First Place
Madeline Malhotra
Eagle Eye View, Sierra MS, Parker, Colo.
Fifth Place
MaKenna Zoglmann
Eagle Eye View, Sierra MS, Parker, Colo
Design of the Year
Honorable Mention
Zoe Faselt, Julia Murphy
The Surveyor, George Washington HS, Denver, Colo.
Write-Off Competition
An onsite opportunity for students at each JEA/NSPA convention is the National Write-Off Competition, which offers a mix of carry-in and on-the-spot competitions in everything from newswriting to newspaper design to copy editing to website reporting.
In Minneapolis, 1,678 students participated in the contests, and about 40 percent earned one of three award designations: superior, excellent and honorable mention.
Colorado honorees included:
Fahey Zink, Rocky Mountain HS, honorable mention in Feature Writing
Calvin Jouard, Rocky Mountain HS, excellent in Sports Writing
Michelle Kennedy, Rocky Mountain HS, honorable mention in Yearbook Academic Writing
Cam Chorpenning, Rocky Mountain HS, honorable mention in Yearbook Clubs Writing
Zaylee Corrella, Palisade HS, honorable mention in Yearbook Cover/Endsheet Design
Advisers provide national leadership
Colorado advisers played an important part in the convention, both in terms of leadership and in terms of instruction and honors.
Angela Banfield, CJE, adviser at Coronado HS, was awarded her Certified Journalism Educator certificate during the Awards Luncheon on Saturday afternoon.
Mark Newton, MJE, adviser at Mountain Vista HS, led his first JEA Board of Directors meeting as president of JEA, the only organization in the nation with a primary duty to represent scholastic media advisers. Carrie Faust, MJE, adviser at Smoky Hill HS, distinguished herself at her first JEA Board of Directors meeting as Southwest Regional Director. And Jack Kennedy, MJE, was also on hand as past president of JEA.
Teaching one of more of the learning sessions available at the convention were: Mark Newton, MJE, Carrie Faust, MJE, Kristi Rathbun, CJE, (Rock Canyon HS), Sheila Jones and Sean Duffy (Englewood HS), and Jack Kennedy, MJE.
Katy Gray, retired adviser from Moffat County HS, and a JEA Mentor, was part of continuing mentoring training at the convention.
The next JEA/NSPA convention is April 12-15 in Seattle.
