High School Media Conference Winners Announced

Over 230 area high school students were award recipients from the 2020 annual High School Media Conference contest recently, having competed in categories of print and broadcast journalism and graphic design.

The annual competition traditionally culminates with a half day conference, with workshops and area professionals as speakers. The March 31 event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic precautionary measures. Students were notified of their awards through their high school journalism advisers.

High School Media Conference co-coordinator, Melodae Morris said, “The conference has been a tradition for the School of Communication for over 60 years, so this was a huge difference for us and we know that the high school students and their advisers look forward to the event and being honored for their work.”

The advisers were notified recently of the specific awards their students and schools would receive.

“Many of the advisers said that their students would be uplifted by the news as their classes are now back in session virtually,” Morris said. “We are happy that this was a bright spot for students in the wake of social distancing.”

High School Media Conference committee members included Instructor and Co-Coordinator Andrew Stem; Graduate Teaching Assistants, Hayley Jurek and Kylie Holman, Instructors, Allison Wakin, Amy Freshman and Herbert Thompson; Lecturer, Cameron Logsdon; Graduate Student, Lyle Kwiatkowski; and Undergraduate Students, Kathy Nguyen and Kamrin Baker. Numerous other faculty and staff assisted with the judging of contest entries.

Sponsors included the Nebraska Broadcasters Association, the Omaha Press Club Foundation/Rotary Club of Omaha (downtown), Omaha Steaks, University of Nebraska at Omaha Undergraduate Admissions department and the UNO Bookstore.

Twenty-one schools participated in the competition in Division A for larger schools and Division B for smaller schools. The Broadcasting Division was for all schools combined.

Division A Sweepstakes - Overall School Awards

• First place - Westside High School
• Second place - Millard West High School
• Third place (tie) - Millard North High School and Omaha Bryan High School
  
  

Division B Sweepstakes - Overall School Awards

• First place - Marian High School
• Second place - Fremont High School
• Third place - Mount Michael Benedictine
  
  

Broadcast Division Awards

• First place - Millard West High School
• Second place - Westside High School
• Third place - Millard North High School
  
  

Division A - Best Newspaper

• First place - Omaha North Magnet School
• Second place - Westside High School
• Third place - Omaha Central High School
  
  

Division B - Best Newspaper

• First place - Omaha Marian High School
• Second place - Gretna High School
• Third place - Mount Michael Benedictine

Joe Rohacik, Papillion La-Vista High School, received the annual Outstanding Service Award for his work in teaching and advising students.

Individual Student Awards are as follows:

Division A

Bellevue East High School

• Best Yearbook/Magazine Layout – First place (tie) - Natasha Menon
• Best News/Feature Photograph – Second place (tie) Hailey O’Brien
  
  

Benson High School

• Best Cartoon – First place (tie) - Lavender Williams
• Best Newspaper Two-page Layout – Third place (team) - Amanda De Santiago
• Best Newspaper Two-page Layout – Third place (team) - Lavender Williams
  
  

Millard North High School

• Best Column – First place - Lucy Tu
• Best Column – Third place - Anjah Pullahota
• Best News/Feature Photograph – Second place (tie) - Jeffrey Zimmerly
• Best Sports Photograph – First place - Libby Whalen
• Best Sports Photograph – Third place - Jeffrey Zimmerly
• Best Sports Story – Second place (tie) - Zach Cutler
• Best Video News Broadcast – First place - The Blue View Staff
• Best Video News Story – Second place (team) - Harper Jones
• Best Video News Story – Second place (team) - Jack McFadyen
• Best Video News Story – Second place (team) - Sean Saxby
• Best Video PSA – Third place (team) - Arnov Pokhrel
• Best Video PSA – Third place (team) - Jack Macfayden
  
  

Millard West High School

• Best Ad – Makenna Cole – Third Place
• Best Cartoon – Mackenzine Gonzales -Second Place (Tie)
• Best Editorial – Edison Geller – Second Place
• Best Review – Edison Geller – First Place
• Best Yearbook/Magazine Layout – Aubree Howell -Third Place
• Best Newspaper Single-page Layout – Kaitlyn Willard – Third Place
• Best Video News Story – First Place – (Team) - Logan Berggren and Olivia Oeth
• Best Video PSA – First Place – (Team) - Bailey Christensen and Logan Berggren
• Best Video Sports Story – Second Place (Team) - Cody Bennett and Miguel Paredes Reyes
• Best Video News Broadcast – Second Place – (Team) - Kaitlyn Willard and Edison Geiler
• Best Video Feature Story – First Place (Team) (Tie) - Dana Summers and Jenna Reynolds
• Best Video Feature Story – Second Place (Team) Connor Robb and Edison Geiler

Omaha Benson

• Best Cartoon – First place (tie) - Lavender Williams
• Best Newspaper Two-page Layout – Third place (team) - Amanda De Santiago
• Best Newspaper Two-page Layout – Third place (team) - Lavender Williams

Omaha Bryan High School

• Best Ad – Second place - Mariam Zahid
• Best Cartoon – First place (tie) - Lia Becker
• Best Column – Second place - Keyana Burries
• Best News Story – Second place - Marcellino Morales
• Best Review – Third place - Lia Becker
• Best Sports Story – Third place (tie) - Angel Garcia
• Best Newspaper Two-Page Layout – Second place - Angel Garcia
• Best In-Depth Story by Team – Second place (team) - Amber Roth, Areem Zahid, Dallanara Sibrian-Miranda, Lia Becker, Miriam Zahid
  
  

Omaha Burke High School

• Best News/Feature Photograph – Third place (tie) - Vivian Chapman
  
  

Omaha Central High School

• Best Cartoon – Third place (tie) - Sedona Cheloha
• Best Editorial – Third place - Stella Ehrhart
• Best In-Depth Story by Team – Third place (tie) - Daisy Friedman and Stella Ehrhart
• Best News/Feature Photo – Third place (tie) - Dillon Galloway
• Best Newspaper Single-page Layout – First place - Emma Whaley
• Best Yearbook/Magazine Layout – Sedona Cheloha

Omaha North High Magnet School

• Best Feature Story – First place - Kylie Hughes
• Best In-Depth Story by Team - Third place - Hailey Gillespie, Hannah Miller, Jeremiah Booth
• Best Original Art/Computer Graphics – Second place - Analiese Wheeler
• Best Short-Form Audio – Third place (team) - Hannah Miller, Nathaniel Smith
• Best Video PSA – Second place - Liam Wiig
• Best Video News Broadcast (team) - Gabe Kuncl, Said Rodriguez, Jonah Adams, Corie McCowin, Mandy Tran
  
  

Papillion - La Vista High School

• Best Sports Story – Second place (tie) - Megan Davey
• Best Feature Story – Second place - Ashley Mason
• Best Yearbook/Magazine Layout – Second place - Jack Nieto
• Best Ad – First place - Jackson Vetter
• Best Cartoon – Third place (tie) - Hannah Shin
• Best Long-form Audio (team) - Owen Sumter and Vincent Lin

Papillion - La Vista South High School

• Best Newspaper Two-Page Layout – First place - Alayna Kustka
• Best Sports Story – Third place (tie) - Caitlin Griffin
• Best Cartoon – Second place (tie) - Mackenzie Peterson
• Best News Story – First place - Alayna Kustka
• Best News/Feature Photograph – Third place (tie) - Amber Rodriguez
• Best Newspaper Single-page Layout – Second place - Kala Sullivan

Westside High School

• Best Video Sports Story – First place - Dylan Bales
• Best Long-Form Audio – First place - Will Eikenbary
• Best Short-Form Audio – First place - Will Eikenbary
• Best Video Feature Story - First place (tie) - Erin Mosier
• Best Video News Story – Third place - Hannah-Kate Kinney
• Best Video Sports Story – Third place - Nathaniel Monjarez Macias
• Best News Story – Third place - Ava Van Gelder
• Best Original Art/Computer Graphics – First place - Julie Steiner
• Best Review – Second place - Will Eikenbary
• Best Sports Story – First place - Josh Seigel
• Best Feature Story – Third place - Izzy Dodge
• Best Sports Photograph – Second place - Emma Rieser
• Best In-Depth Story by Team - Oct. 7 Issue – First Place (tie) - Angelia Li, Auste Kuehne, Charlotte Miller, Eleanor Dodge, Virginia Jansen, Ella Kirkpatrick, Isabella Tyler, Julie Steiner, Luke Steiner
• Best In-Depth Story by Team – Nov. 11 Issue – First Place (tie) - Abby Schreiber, Ella Kirkpatrick, Jane Knudsen, Julie Steiner, Maryam Akramova, Theo Jansen
• Best In-Depth Story by Team – Dec. 16 Issue – First Place (tie) - Isabella Tyler, Julie Steiner, Katie Palais, Malia Gattafarano, Maryam Akramova

Division B

Blair High School

• Best Ad – Third place - Avery French
• Best Cartoon – Third place - Adam Brehm
• Best In-Depth Story by Team – Third place - Adam Brehm, Bailey Steadman, Hailey Erikson
• Best Sports Story – Third place (tie) - Genenien Smith
  
  

Fremont High School

• Best Feature Story – First place - Linley Buschmeyer
• Best Feature Story – Third place - Olivia Wright
• Best News Story – First place - Taylor Martens
• Best News/Feature Photograph – First place (tie) - Maycee Fagan
• Best Original Art/Computer Graphics – Third place - Olivia Wright
• Best Sports Photograph – Second place - Jessica Holcomb
• Best Sport Story – Third place (tie) - Charli Earth
• Best Review – First place - Alexa Mahnke
  
  

Glenwood High School

• Best Cartoon – Photo 1 – First place (tie) - Tanner Williams
• Best Cartoon – Photo 2 – First place (tie) - Tanner Williams
• Best Cartoon – Photo 3 – First place (tie) - Tanner Williams
• Best Column – Third place - Felix Cooper
• Best Newspaper Single-page Layout – Third place - Zander Carda
• Best Yearbook/Magazine Layout – Third place - Bree Severn

Gretna High School

• Best In-Depth Story by Team – Second Place - Emma Mayer, Ethan Menning, Gabby Hytrek, Kaleigh Zollman, Mary Matya
• Best News/Feature Photograph – Second place (tie) - Delany Jepsen
• Best Sports Photograph – Third place - Jada Scharff
• Best Yearbook/Magazine Layout – Second place - Jenna Marshall

Marian High School

• Best Ad – First place - Chloe Herbert
• Best Ad – Second place - Naomi Delkamiller
• Best Cartoon – Second place (tie) - Chloe Herbert
• Best Column – Second place - Lily Weindel
• Best Column – First place - Aker Ajak
• Best Editorial – Second place - Aker Ajak
• Best In-Depth Story by Team – First place (tie) - Aker Ajak, Bella Syslo, Chiara Wallen, Maggie Peklo, Nora Fitzsimmons, Olivia Sullivan
• Best News Story – Third place - Ariana Ganson
• Best News Story – Second place - Libby Schimonitz
• Best Newspaper Two-page Layout – Second place - Chiara Wallen
• Best Newspaper Two-page Layout – Third place - Chiara Wallen
• Best Original Art/Computer Graphics – First place - Rachel Ochola
• Best Original Art/Computer Graphics – Second place - Scarlett Wedergren
• Best Review – Third place - Chloe Herbert
• Best Review – Second place - Maggie Mantini
• Best Sports Story – Second place (tie) - Alida Farrens
• Best Yearbook/Magazine Layout – First place (tie) - Daisy Owen
• Best Short Form Audio – Second place - Naomi Delkamiller

Mount Michael Benedictine High School

• Best In-Depth Story by Team – First place (tie) - Alex Schrier, Daniel Thomas, Jacob Gathje, Liam West
• Best Sports Story – Second place (tie) - Jacob Gathje
• Best Newspaper Single-Page Layout – First place (tie) - Alexander Schrier
• Best Newspaper Single-Page Layout – Second place - Daniel Thomas
• Best Newspaper Two-page Layout – First place - Alexander Schrier
• Best Feature Story – Second place - Jacob Gathje

Platteview High School

• Best Long-Form Audio – Second place (team) – Conner Nelson and Laura Kinney
• Best Cartoon – Second place (tie) - Laura Kinney
• Best News/Feature Photograph – First place (tie) - Conner Nelson
• Best Sports Photograph -First place - Reed Lenker
• Best Yearbook/Magazine Layout – First place team (tie) - Dylan Conover and Laura Kinney

Plattsmouth

• Best News/Feature Photograph - Second place (tie) - Madison Nelson

Ralston

• Best News/Feature Photograph – Third place (tie) - Noelle Philippi

For more information contact, Melodae Morris at 402.554.4179 or melodaemorris@unomaha.edu.