LOS ANGELES — The following were awarded NSPA Best of Show at the Spring National High School Journalism Convention on Saturday evening.
Junior High Yearbook
1. Jamboree
Toby Johnson Middle School, Elk Grove, Calif.
2. The Scrapbook
Westfield Middle School, Westfield, Ind.
3. Eagle Eye View
Sierra Middle School, Parker, Colo.
4. The Prowl
Powell Middle School, Littleton, Colo.
5. Sentry
Robinson Middle School, Fairfax, Va.
6. The Crusader
Castle Rock Middle School, Castle Rock, Colo.
7. Ingenium
Greenfield Junior High School, Gilbert, Ariz.
8. El Cazador
Huntington Middle School, San Marino, Calif.
9. Specifics
Seven Lakes Junior High School, Katy, Texas
Judge’s Comments: Jamboree has a fun voice and is packed with entertaining yet informative content. The publication had a broad range of coverage with attention to pulling the theme through the entire book. Jamboree also had really strong designs.
Overall the winning publications had an amazing amount of coverage. They all had an extensive use of mods with valuable content and had a variety of formats. The voices in the winning books were also very well-developed as well as consistent throughout the publications.
Junior High Newspaper
1. The Spectrum
Harvard-Westlake Middle School, Los Angeles, Calif.
2. The Summit
Sierra Middle School, Parker, Colo.
3. The Eagle Pride Publisher
Saint John School, Encinitas, Calif.
Judge’s Comments: All three publications did an excellent job of covering their schools and included a wide variety of topics throughout. The Spectrum really stood out due to the staff’s in-depth coverage of campus news, clubs, and organizations as well as their various opinion pieces that really impacted their audience.
Broadcast Program
1. Mustang Morning News
Mira Costa High School, Manhattan Beach, Calif.
2. The Talon
Argyle High School, Argyle, Texas
3. Channel 5 Titan TV News
Antelope High School, Antelope, Calif.
4. Eagle Nation News
Prosper High School, Prosper, Texas
5. DVTV
Desert Vista High School, Phoenix, Ariz.
6. Pony Express
Stillwater High School, Stillwater, Minn.
7. CHS Wired
Cody High School, Cody, Wyo.
8. BNN-Bull Dog News Network
Columbus North High School, Columbus, Ind.
9. The Viking Report
Francis Howell High School, St. Charles, Mo.
Judge’s Comments: Inspired storytelling. It was difficult to place the top three, In the end, anchoring often determined the difference. Some schools had all the zing – graphics, interesting camera angles – but it was that human connection from the anchors, narrators and subjects that touched me the most. I also thought that some schools took on some very important social issues. Timely subjects like LGBTQ issues, Japanese internment, hate crimes, racism, and did exceptional pieces that were balanced, enlightening and engaging. It was an honor to see what some schools are doing all the way around.
Literary Magazine
1. The Rambler
Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif.
2. The Riot
Century High School, Bismarck, N.D.
3. The Looking Glass
Rocky Mountain High School, Fort Collins, Colo.
4. PenSoul
Bismarck High School, Bismarck, N.D.
5. The Hickman Review
David H. Hickman High School, Columbia, Mo.
6. Spoke
Davis Senior High School, Davis, Calif.
7. Eclectic
Bob Jones High School, Madison, Ala.
Judge’s Comments: The best literary magazines each developed a theme that is broad, yet provides continuity for the reader but does not overly restrict the contributors’ work. The winning entry excels in this by using color as both the theme and the structure for its publication.
Additionally, the best entries honor the authenticity of each submission without warping or altering the original message or purpose of the contributing artists, writers, poets, or photographers.
The winning entries feature attractive, compelling and pleasing design with strong, appropriate use of fonts and marriage of words and images. The winning entry The Rambler from Sierra Canyon school extends this further with its organizational use of color to enhance its sections of chrome, warm, cool, tint, and shade which was creatively implemented throughout.
Finally, the winning entries also feature a high quality of contributions of students who demonstrate a superior talent and artistic expression.
Newsmagazine
1. The Roar
Whitney High School, Rocklin, Calif.
2. The HiLite
Carmel High School, Carmel, Ind.
3. JagWire
Mill Valley High School, Shawnee, Kan.
4. The Triangle
Columbus North High School, Columbus, Ind.
5. The Titan Times
Antelope High School, Antelope, Calif.
6. Featherduster
Westlake High School, Austin, Texas
7. The Lancer Express/The Lancer Link
Carlsbad High School, Carlsbad, Calif.
8. The Mission
Shawnee Mission North High School, Overland Park, Kan.
9. West Side Story
Iowa City West High School, Iowa City, Iowa
10. On the Record
duPont Manual High School, Louisville, Ky.
Judge’s Comments: Overall the category was very competitive and had a lot of good variety in content. The winning publication had powerful headlines and great in-depth content. Things to keep in mind to improve upon would be headlining stories not labeling them. Long stories are out- shorter stories attract readers so be concise with your writing. Publications could also use more alternative copy options to enhance design and the shorter stories. A note for all to keep in mind is that web pictures can’t be used unless you have permission, so make sure you caption your photos correctly!
Newspaper Special Edition
1. Featherduster
Westlake High School, Austin, Texas
2. Acumen
Carmel High School, Carmel, Ind.
3. The Red & Black
Hillsborough High School, Tampa, Fla.
4. The Roar
Whitney High School, Rocklin, Calif.
5. Southpaw
Rock Bridge Senior High School, Columbia, Mo.
6. The Rock
Rock Canyon High School, Highlands Ranch, Colo.
7. The Eagle Eye
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Fla.
8. Hawkeye
Mountlake Terrace High School, Mountlake Terrace, Wash.
9. The Packer
West Fargo High School, West Fargo, N.D.
10. The Triangle
Columbus North High School, Columbus, Ind.
Judge’s Comments: Focusing on music, the Featherduster special edition covers the lives of students, teachers, and a vibrant community. Through great coverage, design, photography and writing, the reader becomes well aquatinted with the school and community, even though the initial focus seems limited.
Newspaper Broadsheet 17 or More Pages
1. The Pinnacle
Summit High School, Bend, Ore.
2. The Rock
Rock Bridge Senior High School, Columbia, Mo.
3. The Winged Post
The Harker School, San Jose, Calif.
4. The Granite Bay Gazette
Granite Bay High School, Granite Bay, Calif.
5. The North Star
J.W. North High School, Riverside, Calif.
6. El Diablo
Durango High School, Durango, Colo.
Judge’s Comments: Showcasing the excellence in journalistic standards, The Pinnacle is simply at the highest peak in this category. From investigative reporting to high-end graphics, the Oregon paper engages the readers throughout every section.
Overall, what impressed me the most with all of these publications was the amount of ‘real’ journalism that kept the spirit, free speech, and voice of the people.
All of these papers should be commended for their efforts and cause to the ever-changing profession. The only critiques of these publications would be to watch the placement of stories and pay closer attention to the design principles (i.e. headline, hierarchy, font selection, and width of body legs).
Newspaper Broadsheet 16 or Fewer Pages
1. The Hub
Davis Senior High School, Davis, Calif.
2. North Pointe
Grosse Pointe North High School, Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.
3. Cedar Post
Sandpoint High School, Sandpoint, Idaho
4. Lone Star Dispatch
James Bowie High School, Austin, Texas
5. Insight
Yukon High School, Yukon, Okla.
6. The Stagg Line
Amos Alonzo Stagg High School, Stockton, Calif.
7. The Nexus
Westview High School, San Diego, Calif.
8. Pony Express
Stillwater High School, Stillwater, Minn.
9. The Packer
West Fargo High School, West Fargo, N.D.
10. Hi-Lights
Sanger High School, Sanger, Calif.
Judge’s Comments: The Hub had visuals and text that made you want to pick it up and read it. The publication also had powerful stories that went more in depth than “this happened at school last week.”
Top entries had a good balance between stories about people and issues with an emphasis on strong, eye-catching visuals. Opinion sections were strong and national/international events were localized for their readers.
Newspaper Tabloid 16 or Fewer Pages
1. The Broadview
Convent of the Sacred Heart High School, San Francisco, Calif.
2. The Echo
St. Louis Park High School, St. Louis Park, Minn.
3. Altitude
Hanford High School, Richland, Wash.
4. Hi-Lights
William R. Boone High School, Orlando, Fla.
5. The Red & Black
Hillsborough High School, Tampa, Fla.
6. MavLife
La Costa Canyon High School, Carlsbad, Calif.
7. El Vaquero
Irvine High School, Irvine, Calif.
8. The Blackfriar Chronicle
Malvern Preparatory School, Malvern, Pa.
9. Rocky Mountain Highlighter
Rocky Mountain High School, Fort Collins, Colo.
10. The Eagle Eye
Santa Margarita Catholic High School, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.
Judge’s Comments: The top choice had strong writing, contemporary stories and a clean design.
Overall, there was a strong use of graphics tied to the verbal content. Students approached controversial topics and there was a strong focus on the lives of the students.
Newspaper Tabloid 17 or More Pages
1. The Talisman
Ballard High School, Seattle, Wash.
2. Nordic News
Inglemoor High School, Kenmore, Wash.
3. Central High Register
Central High School, Omaha, Neb.
4. Lance
Westside High School, Omaha, Neb.
5. The Talon
Los Altos High School, Los Altos, Calif.
6. The Harbinger
Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kan.
7. The Boiling Point
Shalhevet High School, Los Angeles, Calif.
8. The Sidekick
Coppell High School, Coppell, Texas
9. The Blazer
Timberline High School, Lacey, Wash.
Judge’s Comments: The top two were very close. Here’s what set the top choice apart:
Website Large School
1. Bearing News
Rock Bridge Senior High School, Columbia, Mo.
2. The HiLite
Carmel High School, Carmel, Ind.
3. Niles West News
Niles West High School, Skokie, Ill.
4. M-A Chronicle
Menlo Atherton High School, Atherton, Calif.
5. The Panther Prowler
Newbury Park High School, Newbury Park, Calif.
6. Crimson
Paso Robles High School, Paso Robles, Calif.
7. Newsbytes
West Covina High School, West Covina, Calif.
8. Raven Report
Sequoia High School, Redwood City, Calif.
9. The Roar
Leander High School, Leander, Texas
10. The Sun
Mount Carmel High School, San Diego, Calif.
Judge’s Comments: The top sites blended strong design with interactives, an awareness of the latest in social media (Snapchat, Instagram). The winning sites also had a good mix of story forms (video, audio, photo, text) and timely features such as graphics of the day or stories in photos. A six-part series on criminal justice in The Bearing News was ambitious, necessary, and well-timed.
Website Small School
1. The Echo
St. Louis Park High School, St. Louis Park, Minn.
2. The Broadview
Convent of the Sacred Heart High School, San Francisco, Calif.
3. The Urban Legend
The Urban School of San Francisco, San Francisco, Calif.
4. The Foothill Dragon Press
Foothill Technology High School, Ventura, Calif.
5. The Lancer Express/The Lancer Link
Carlsbad High School, Carlsbad, Calif.
Judge’s Comments: Really competitive category overall. First place the Echo had a good variety of hard and feature news. It also had strong leads and clean, organized design. You could really tell they took the time to carefully proofread.
The second place winner Broadview had good story variety with strong headlines. They were also had a very organized system of topics on the site.
Urban Legend took third place for its great use of banners and mastheads. The Info graphics were also really great. Urban Legend also used labels instead of headlines sometimes.
The Foothill Dragon Press had clean artistic design with good content variety. An area for improvement for a lot of publications would be starting with stronger story leads- never begin with a date and time as a lead.
The fifth ranked publication Lancer Link had good photos and strong story variety as well as a nice drop down menus on the story bar that made for easier site navigation.
Yearbook 232 or Fewer Pages
1. Rampages
Casa Roble High School, Orangevale, Calif.
2. Historian
McClintock High School, Tempe, Ariz.
3. Crag
Turner Ashby High School, Bridgewater, Va.
4. Wings
Arrowhead Christian Academy, Redlands, Calif.
5. Daedalus
Northeastern High School, Manchester, Pa.
6. Surfer
Coronado Middle School, Coronado, Calif.
7. Chronicle
Classical Academy High School, Escondido, Calif.
8. Excalibur
Higley High School, Gilbert, Ariz.
9. Mesquite Roots
Mesquite High School, Gilbert, Ariz.
10. Spud Annual
Idaho Falls High School, Idaho Falls, Idaho
Judge’s Comments: First place, had outstanding concept and coverage integration. The publication also had a personal appeal to students with their concept. The integration of concept graphics is subtle while not being overpowering or repetitive. Great storytelling in all type of alternative story formats that makes the publication innovative and interesting to readers.
Overall, the category strong in photography with good technical quality with a few posed shots. The use of both primary and secondary headlines was also great with the winning publications. The consistent design style and good use of white space was also present throughout the winning books. A big detail that all winning publications did was relate the theme specifically to their school.
Yearbook 233-288 Pages
1. Details
Whitney High School, Rocklin, Calif.
2. Decamhian
Del Campo High School, Fair Oaks, Calif.
3. The Miller
Yukon High School, Yukon, Okla.
4. Sunset
Corona del Sol High School, Tempe, Ariz.
5. Log
Columbus North High School, Columbus, Ind.
6. Lion’s Roar
Christ Presbyterian Academy, Nashville, Tenn.
7. Westwind
Lewis-Palmer High School, Monument, Colo.
8. Titanium
Antelope High School, Antelope, Calif.
9. Tonitrus
Rocklin High School, Rocklin, Calif.
10. The JAG
Mill Valley High School, Shawnee, Kan.
Judge’s Comments: The top books had amazing action photography and fascinating coverage. The reporting was strong, whether traditional feature stories, alternative formats or extended captions. The design was clean and contemporary.
Yearbook 289-336 Pages
1. The Arena
Legacy High School, Mansfield, Texas
2. Wingspan
James C. Enochs High School, Modesto, Calif.
3. Indian
Shawnee Mission North High School, Overland Park, Kan.
4. Titanian
San Marino High School, San Marino, Calif.
5. Vox Populi
Harvard-Westlake School, North Hollywood, Calif.
6. Howelltonian
Francis Howell High School, St. Charles, Mo.
7. Aquila
Etiwanda High School, Etiwanda, Calif.
8. Re-Wa-Ne
Reno High School, Reno, Nev.
9. Above & Beyond
Robinson Secondary School, Fairfax, Va.
10. Epic
Legend High School, Parker, Colo.
Judge’s Comments: The first place publication The Arena had unique design, great specialty ideas and execution. The publication also had a great variety of strong writing.
Overall the category had some great entries that had good pictures and images that paired well with the writing.
Yearbook 337 or More Pages
1. Legend
William R. Boone High School, Orlando, Fla.
2. Hauberk
Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kan.
3. Tesserae
Corning-Painted Post High School, Corning, N.Y.
4. Etruscan
Glenbrook South High School, Glenview, Ill.
5. Lair
Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, Shawnee, Kan.
6. El Paisano
Westlake High School, Austin, Texas
7. Pinnacle
Carmel High School, Carmel, Ind.
8. Ursus
Granite Bay High School, Granite Bay, Calif.
9. Odyssey
Chantilly High School, Chantilly, Va.
10. Legend
Coronado High School, El Paso, Texas
Judge’s Comments: The top book had a freshness to the design, beyond the repetitive sameness of repeating modules. More than that, it had beautiful design and use of typography, fresh coverage and features that capture the life at their school. From storytelling complete captions to detailed reporting, the verbal coverage does an excellent job of matching the visual presentation.