The Kaneland Krier came in second in the annual Illinois Woman’s Press Association Communications Contest, with staff members taking home 12 individual awards.
“It’s the best we’ve ever done in this contest,” Cheryl Borrowdale, journalism teacher and Krier adviser said. “We’ve taken home a number of IWPA awards before, but we’re especially proud this year because our overall score was the highest in school history. It’s a great achievement for our students, who are going up against many excellent staffs from high schools all across the state.”
The contest recognizes excellence among students in writing, graphics, cartooning, photography and layout. University High School, a laboratory school run by the University of Chicago, came in first place overall and took home the Silver Pen Award, while Huntley High School came in third place overall.
Two Kaneland students came in first in state and went on to compete in the National Federation of Press Women’s contest, which takes place in September: senior Maria Kernychny in Environmental Reporting, for her story “The Earth-Friendly Diet,” and junior Emily Carr in Single-Page Layout, for her page design “When It’s Not Just the Sniffles.”
“The story about earth-friendly diets was something I really worked hard to educate people about,” Kernychny, the Krier’s editor-in-chief said. “I’m passionate about the destruction we’re doing to our plant, and a surprising amount of that comes directly from what we choose to eat. A lot of our stories this year have been working to educate teens about how our choices impact the larger world around us. That’s been a theme in several of the other stories that won, too—the impact of harassment on gay students, of bottled water on the environment, of just walking into a pet store and buying a puppy without knowing whether it came from a mill, of Republicans and Democrats blaming each other and not really solving anything. We want our readers to be aware and to take responsibility.”
Kernychny also took second in state in Editorials, for her piece “The Political Blame Game Isn’t Solving Anything.” Other second place winners were sophomore Julia Angelotti in Opinion, for her column “New Schedule May Be a Turn For the Best;” junior Diana Nuno in Double-Truck Layout, for her centerspread design “The Pursuit of Happiness;” and senior Elaine Cannell and freshmen Gina Jarvis and Kaprice Sanchez in Environmental Reporting, for their story “All Bottled Up.”
Junior Kylie Siebert placed third in state in Feature Photo for a photo of MacKenzie Curran at a volleyball game, and senior Jessica Corbett and freshmen Kelsy Goodwin and Kaley Martens placed third in the Feature Story category for their investigative piece, “Cracking Down on Cruelty.”
Honorable mentions went to senior Amanda Schiff in Graphics and Photo Illustration, for her infographic “A Decade of Change;” sophomore Riley Phillips in Opinion, for her column “Accepting Everyone;” sophomore Julia Angelotti in Single-Page Layout for her design, “Great Gifts Under $20;” and sophomore Maggie Brundige in Reviews, for her review “Top 10 of 2010.”
The IWPA will honor all 56 Illinois student winners, 18 of whom are from Kaneland, at an awards luncheon at the Union League Club of Chicago on May 21.
Judges for the 2011 contest included journalists from Chicago Lawyer, Crain’s Chicago, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Streetwise, The Daily Herald and The Southtown Star, as well as professors of journalism from Columbia College Chicago, Northwestern University and Eastern Illinois University.