HALSEY, Neb., April 30, 2011 – The work of students attending Nebraska high schools was showcased during the 2011 Nebraska Press Women High School Communications Competition. Results were announced today during the Nebraska Press Women’s spring convention at the State 4-H Camp near Halsey.
Students from 12 schools entered work completed during 2010 in the contest, which included 17 different categories, from writing to photography and video entries.
Omaha Westside students captured first place in seven of the 17 categories, with each of those entries advancing to the National Federation of Press Women’s High School Communications Contest.
National winners will be announced in September during the national convention in Omaha and Council Bluffs. Other schools with first place submissions that will advance to nationals are Fremont, Grand Island Senior High, Omaha Marian, Papillion LaVista South and Rock County High School.
The competition drew nearly 170 entries from 12 schools. Schools were divided into two divisions, Division 1 for Class A schools, and Division 2 for all other class schools. Judges determined between first-place winners in each division which entry should advance to the national contest.
Division 1 schools that participated were Fremont High School, Grand Island Senior High, Papillion-La Vista South, Omaha Marian, Omaha Central and Omaha Westside. Division 2 schools were Crete, Broken Bow, Rock County, Superior, Elkhorn and Wood River.
While every school had at least one entry that placed in the top four spots, Omaha Westside had 15 entries that placed in the top four, seven of those first-place awards. Elkhorn students earned 14 awards, of which three were first place, while five of 10 awards for Omaha Marian were first place.
Nebraska Press Women is an affiliate of the National Federation of Press Women. Both organizations provide professional growth opportunities for women and men in the communications field. Programs include conventions, workshops, contests, awards, and scholarships.
*indicates the entry advanced to nationals
DIVISION I RESULTS
Fremont High School
Kaylee Everly, *first, sports photo; second, feature photo
Brian Ellis, *first, cartooning
Samantha McMahon, second, reivews
Annette Bilava, second, double-truck layout
Grand Island Senior High
Miranda Wieczorek, *first, feature photo; honorable mention, news
Lance Kush, second, columns
Linden Tell, third, columns
Kipp Hewitt, third, feature photo
Stephanie Sander, third, single-page layout
Omaha Central
Matthew Vondrasek, second, editorial
Mekenzie Kerr, hounorable mention, environment
Omaha Marian High School
Erin O’Brien, *first, opinion
Molly Misek, second, opinion
Lexi Walz, first, feature story
Liz Berigan, *first, sports story
Brooke Urzendowski, second, sports story
Anna Woods, *first, columns
Allison Dethlefs, third, cartooning
Annie Dovali, second, graphics/photo illustration
Carla Gibbs, second, single-page layout
Kathleen Gerber, *first, double-truck layout
Omaha Westside
Samantha Juster, *first, editorial; *first, single-page layout
Ali Tomek, *first, news; second, feature story;
Hannah Gill, honorable mention, news; honorable mention, single-page layout
Joe Hack, third, feature story
Jessie Pflug, second, sports photo
Julius Frederick, second, cartooning
Daniel Kemp, *first, reviews
Anne Sundell, *first, video news
Bridget Vacha and Daniel Kemp, honorable mention, video news
Jane Rock, *first, video feature
Jesse Milliken, second, video feature
Madison Mapes, *first, video sports
Papillion-La Vista South High School
Ryan Daly, *first, graphics/photo illustration; second, video news; third, opinion; honorable mention, single-page layout
Abbey Ashby, *first, graphics/photo illustration
Rebecca Conrad, second, video news
Katie Bober, second, news
Cady Pacholski, second, news
Gretchen Pille, third, news
Emily Kuklinski, third, sports story
DIVISION II RESULTS
Broken Bow High School
Patrick Wright, first, editorial; third, sports story
Emily Smallcomb, third, columns
Crete High School
Dulce Castaneda, first, news
Jessalyn Holdcraft, first, sports story; second, news; second, graphics/photo illustration; honorable mention, feature story
Carmen Castaneda and Jake White, second, single-page layout
Elkhorn High School
Adam Fangman, third, reviews; honorable mention, editorial
Lori Turner, first, opinion; third, graphics/photo illustration
Gabby Grutsch, second, feature story
Hillary Naumann, first, columns; second, sports story
Katherine Turner, second, feature photo; third, double-truck layout
William Clifford Koll, third, sports photo
Linnea Hardin, first, single-page layout
Nick Royer, second, video sports; third, video news; third, video feature
Rock County High School
Emily Sybrant, *first, feature story; first, graphics/photo illustration; second, columns;
Superior High School
Montana Hayes, second, editorial
Victoria Simonsen, third, editorial
Wood River High School
Kristen Harders, third, feature story
Brianna Turek, first, feature photo
