For the second year in a row, the NSAA State Journalism Championships were held partially virtual due to COVID-19 restrictions. A limited number of students made the trek to Norfolk on April 27, as they competed on site for the writing and advertising categories. 

Then, on Friday, April 30, Millard West’s Journalism and Yearbook staff gathered in Room 312 for the virtual awards ceremony. In total, 24 students took home medals by placing in the top eight of 37 different categories. Millard West placed third overall. 

“The Catalyst” In-Depth team placed fifth for their newspaper coverage over voting and the 2020 election. The team consisted of seniors Anna Blumenthal, Haden Batchelder, Edison Geiler, Jenna Reynolds and Tenley Wright, as well as junior Jonathan Jimenez.

The Prowler Yearbook staff took sixth place in Yearbook Theme Development for their design of the 2021 yearbook. Juniors Kaitlin Reynolds and Jetta Hoffner lead the way as co-editor-in-chiefs.

“It was really rewarding for the Yearbook staff to place at State for Theme Development because it is something we have worked on all year long,” Reynolds said. “Our theme, You Can’t Stop Us, started at the beginning of the year and has evolved into something that the yearbook really encompasses with content as well as with how the staff has handled covering this year. We didn’t let all of the changes and obstacles stop us from attending events, taking pictures, turning in spreads and finding new stories.”

Multiple students became individual state Champions for the Wildcats, including “The Catalyst” Editor-in-Chief Emma Baker with a gold medal in Editorial Writing and Prowler Yearbook staff member Anna Burton for her entry in the Sports/Action Photography category. Baker would also take home the title of State Runner-Up in Entertainment Writing.

“This was my first State Champion medal,” Baker said. “I was super surprised and honored to be awarded it.”

Features Editor Jenna Reynolds and News Director Dana Summers also took gold for their Broadcast Feature story, repeating their 2019-2020 championship in the same category. Reynolds also placed fifth in both the broadcast feature category and second place in the Info-Graphic category.  

Other medalists include:

Staff Reporter Alexis Bahensky – fourth place in Broadcast PSA

Staff Reporter Jordan Bakar – fourth place in Advertising

Staff Reporter Brenna Batchelder – eighth place in Broadcast News Story

Prowler Staff Member Taeya Berry – second place in Yearbook Feature Writing

Staff Reporter Madison Brandis – fifth place in Broadcast PSA and fourth place in Broadcast 

Staff Reporter Madelyn Christiansen – third place in Broadcast Feature Story

Staff Reporter Joseph Ebmeier – fourth place in Broadcast Sports Story

MWHS Wildcat News Editor-in-Chief Edison Geiler – third place in Broadcast Sports Story, third place in Broadcast PSA and fifth place in Broadcast Feature Story

Prowler co-Editor-in-Chief Jetta Hoffner – fifth place in Yearbook Feature Writing and fifth place in Yearbook Theme Copy Writing

Staff Illustrator Golden Kelly – fourth place Photo/Artistic Illustration

Staff Reporter Logan Moseley – fifth place in Broadcast PSA

Sports Director Miguel Paredes Reyes third place in Broadcast Feature Story

Prowler co-Editor-in-Chief Katie Reynolds – sixth place in Yearbook Theme Copy Writing

Staff Reporter Kaden Roth – eighth place in Broadcast News Story

Staff Reporter Evan Vaslow – fourth place in Broadcast Sports Story

Striv Executive Producer Jon Willis – second Place in Newspaper Sports Feature Writing, third place in Broadcast Sports Story and sixth place in Advertising

Chief Photographer Tenley Wright – third place in Sports/Action Photography and eighth place in News/Feature Photography

“I’m really proud of our staff this year,” Baker said. “We walked out with some State Champion medals and placed really well, especially in the broadcasting categories. I’ve seen my fellow classmates work hard all year long, so for them to win these awards is a really big moment of recognition.”

Although the event was primarily virtual, students were still able to be recognized for their work and enjoy a ceremony with their classmates.