WPCI awards more than 50 high school winners
Here are results for the 2009 WPCI High School Contest:
Editorial
- First place: Heather Watts, Greenwood Community High School, Greenwood, Ind.; "PLCs represent new"; adviser Denise Roberts.
- From the judge: Reorganizing teachers into a more effective team is a laudable concept and to find a student clever enough to point out faculty shortcomings and ways to overcome them is worthy of citation. The argument is brief but cogent. One could ask: "Who is teaching whom?"
- Second place (tie): Angel Ramey, Muncie Central High School, Muncie; and Julia Little, Southport High School, Indianapolis.
- Third place: Staff, Carmel High School, Carmel.
- Honorable mention: Amanda Bowman, Lawrence Central High School, Indianapolis.
Opinion
- First place: Julia Dicken, Merrillville High School, Merrillville; "Hood got yo' tongue?"; adviser Teresa Procter.
- From the judge: This is a strong defense of the value of speaking properly for high school students who want to succeed in life. The author takes a brave stand in favor of Standard English vs. Ebonics, pointing out that while many of these students' ancestors may have spoken an uneducated dialect, they were oppressed slaves "and most of you dropping one-fifty on a pair of Nikes are not." Clearly the author is a sharp observer of human behavior and is not afraid to call it as she sees it.
- Second place: Jake Krutulis, Greenwood Community High School, Greenwood.
- Third place: Alex Johnson, R. Nelson Snider High School, Fort Wayne.
- Honorable mention: Lucas Sweitzer, Southport High School, Indianapolis.
News
- First place: Peyge Wolfe, Muncie Central High School, Muncie; "Fight Club: Violence, gangs interfering with school"; adviser Terry Nelson.
- From the judge: The topic is timely and important; the writer produced a story that is well-written, informative and challenging.
- Second place: Sharini Parikshak, Southport High School, Indianapolis.
- Third place: Eric Rees, Lawrence Central High School, Indianapolis.
- Honorable mention: Rosemary Pritchett-Montavon, Lawrence North High School, Indianapolis.
Feature
- First place: Emily Theis, Southport High School, Indianapolis; "Alternative School offers opportunity for change"; adviser Mike Klopfenstein.
- From the judge: Excellent reporting and clear, concise writing make this a clear-cut winner! Theis' descriptive lead really sets the scene for the reader.
- Second place: Nicole Burts, Lawrence North High School, Indianapolis.
- Third place: Sean Jordan, Lawrence Central High School, Indianapolis.
- Honorable mention: Kristin Reeves, Muncie Central High School, Muncie.
Sports
- First place: Robert Howard, Munster High School, Munster; "Boys' basketball remains top in Region despite first loss"; adviser Nancy Hastings.
- From the judge: First-place winner Robert Howard writes with a seemingly effortless but very skillful style that evokes lots of imagery for the reader. His entry was a "slam dunk" when the judge considered his fluid writing style, excellent transitions and organization, great use of quotations, clever and inviting lead paragraph, expressive verbs, clean copy without errors, and strong, memorable finish. He has a natural ability - like an experienced point guard - to lead the reader through solid information and well-written analysis down the court and into the paint for the slam dunk without turnovers or fouls. His entertaining writing style and careful attention to detail scored the most points among the other talented sportswriters. The judge enjoyed reading his story. That should be the goal for every journalist - to keep the reader interested until the last paragraph.
- Second place: Rachel Stenger, Lawrence North High School, Indianapolis.
- Third place: Aaron Whitted, Muncie Central High School, Muncie.
- Honorable mention: Haley Dickey, Warren Central High School, Indianapolis.
Columns
- First place: Cody Wopshall, Muncie Central High School, Muncie; "From the Inside Out"; adviser Terry Nelson.
- From the judge: Wopshall is far and above the best columnist in this category. He tackles tough topics with great writing and good insights. It is a pleasure to read his work and to choose him as our top winner. Well done.
- Second place: Kevin Gardner, Lawrence Central High School, Indianapolis.
- Third place: Adria Steuer, Warren Central High School, Indianapolis.
- Honorable mention: Kristine Morgan, Southport High School, Indianapolis.
Cartoon
- First place: Michael Sicely and Carly Strobel,Lawrence Central High School, Indianapolis; "Community Service?"; adviser Elizabeth Granger.
- From the judge: The artistic quality of this cartoon combined with a simple, clever caption conveys a very effective and humorous message.
- Second place: Rebecca Xu, Carmel High School, Carmel.
- Third place: Olivia Cheatham, Southport High School, Indianapolis.
- Honorable mention: Peter Manges, R. Nelson Snider High School, Fort Wayne.
Sports Photo
- From the judge: This photo brilliantly captures the emotion of a 1-9 season. It tells a story of letdown and frustration through the solitude of one player as the clock ticks away.
Feature Photo
- First place: Lauren Kreigh, Lawrence North High School, Indianapolis; "Shall we dance"; adviser Heather Stockdell.
- From the judge: The moment captured in this photo immediately draws the viewer into the page and tells the story in a way that words simply cannot.
- Second place: Laura Spears, Lawrence Central High School, Indianapolis.
- Third place: Michelle Hu, Carmel High School, Carmel.
- Honorable mention: Allyson Reynolds, Warren Central High School, Indianapolis.
Reviews
- First place: Anton Barnett, Warren Central High School, Indianapolis; "Mission pending … shall you proceed to your current objective, 007?"; adviser Mark Haab.
- From the judge: The writer brings the movie to the page in a creative way. A new spin on a review draws in the reader. Great job!
- Second place: Kelsey Olson and Katharine Rinker,Lawrence North High School, Indianapolis.
- Third place: Jackson Ulmer, R. Nelson Snider High School, Fort Wayne.
- Honorable mention: Carly Strobel, Lawrence Central High School, Indianapolis.
Graphics
- First place: Nick Reasoner, Warren Central High School, Indianapolis; "Race to the Presidency"; adviser Mark Haab.
- From the judge: This is a highly original and creative graphic depicting the presidential candidates' faces PhotoShop-ped onto runners' bodies heading toward the finish line. Very well done.
- Second place: Brett Cumings, Muncie Central High School, Muncie.
- Third place: Scott Archer, Lawrence North High School, Indianapolis.
- Honorable mention: Carly Strobel, Lawrence Central High School, Indianapolis.
Single Page Layout
- First place: Stephanie Hodgin, Carmel High School, Carmel;"The amazing comic world of Kevin Anderson"; adviser Jim Streisel.
- From the judge: This is a very clean layout that uses a sequence of sketches and photo illustrations to add another dimension to the story. The use of typography and color helps bring this page to life.
- Second place: Adria Steuer, Warren Central High School, Indianapolis.
- Third place: Lori Shaw, Southport High School, Indianapolis.
- Honorable mention: Brett Cumings, Muncie Central High School, Muncie.
Double-Truck Layout
- First place: Samantha Ashworth, Macey Moreland, Taylor Eckert, Greenwood Community High School, Greenwood; "Senioritis"; adviser Denise Roberts.
- From the judge: A tremendous amount of creativity and imagination went into this layout. The designers effectively captured the attention of viewers and held their focus with an assortment of Post-it notes.
- Second place: Victoria Kissner, Warren Central High School, Indianapolis.
- Third place: Lierin Ehmke and Mykel Kennedy, Lawrence Central High School, Indianapolis.
- Honorable mention: Ariel Aisen and Jinny Zhang, Carmel High School, Carmel.
Environment
- First place: Emily Theis, Southport High School, Indianapolis; "Teen lifestyles can have effect on environment"; adviser Mike Klopfenstein.
- From the judge: The article is well-researched and good graphics add to the presentation.
- Second place: Elise Pentz, Kristin Olson, Hannah Parry, Sam Dicken, Lawrence North High School, Indianapolis.
- Third place: Alli Arnell, Carmel High School, Carmel.
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The fine print:
