Special honors for overall excellence in three categories were:

Less than 500 Enrollment: Best Overall Newspaper
1. U-High Midway, Uni-High, Chicago
2. Maria Herald, Maria HS
3. The Warrior, Casey-Westfield HS

500-1,200 Enrollment: Best Overall Newspaper
1. The MHS Mirror, Mattoon H.S.
2. The Zephyr, Taylorville H.S.
3. The Advocate, Washington Community H.S.

More than 1,200 Enrollment: Best Overall Newspaper
1. (tie) The Voice, Huntley H.S
(tie) The Prospector, Prospect H.S.
2. (tie) The Oracle, Glenbrook South H.S.
(tie) The Pacer, Rolling Meadows HS

winners list by category

Rounding out the top six were Uni-High, Urbana, Downers Grove North, Taft, Huntley and Wheeling high schools.

About 330 students competed in 16 categories. For results of the individual contests, see www.speechwire.com/r-results.php?tournid=1383&groupingid=0&round=F

The winners include:

Illinois Write-off winners

News writing, Excellent, Jessica Lynk, John Hersey High School

News writing, Honorable Mention, Tamara Craven, Glenbrook South High School

News writing, Honorable Mention, Rebecca Yun, Niles West High School

News writing, Honorable Mention, Bridget Tracy, Marist High School

Sports Writing, Excellent, Brian Loomis, John Hersey High School

Sports Writing, Excellent, John Adkisson, Glenbrook South High School

Sports Writing, Excellent, Nate SCHAPMANN, Niles West High School

Sports Writing, Honorable Mention, Ryan McManus, Marist High School

Review Writing, Honorable Mention, Kathryn Jaslikowski, Glenbrook South High School

Editorial Cartooning, Superior, CJ Park, Glenbrook South High School

Commentary Writing, Superior, Dana Bisbee, Marist High School

Commentary Writing, Honorable Mention, Kevin Hyde, John Hersey High School

News Editing / Headline Writing, Superior, Becky Pauwels, John Hersey High School

YB Layout Theme, Honorable Mention, Jennifer Hahn, John Hersey High School

Computer Design: Photoshop Art  Honorable Mention, Zachary Killam, John Hersey High School

Broadcast News writing, Excellent, Faith Savaiano, Glenbrook South High School

Online News Package, Honorable Mention, Michelle Sproat, Niles West High School

Online News Package, Honorable Mention, Jackie Povitsky, Niles West High School

Online News Package, Honorable Mention, Colene Gibson, Niles West High School

Best of Show

Newspaper Tabloid 12 or Fewer Pages

Third Place:  The Correspondent, John Hersey HS, Arlington Heights

Kevin Hyde, Ashley Hawkins, Becky Pauwels, editors

Janet Levin, adviser

Yearbook 325 or More Pages

First Place:  Etruscan, Glenbrook South HS, Glenview

Kyle Redden, Taylor Rech, editors

Brenda Field, adviser

Publication Web Site Large School

Tenth Place  Niles West News, Niles West HS, Skokie,

Colene Gibson, editor

Evelyn Lauer, adviser

Newspaper broadsheet – 8 or few Pages

Ninth: Sentinel, Marist HS, Chicago,

Bridget Tracy, Brian Laughran, editors

John Gonczy, adviser

Newspaper Broadsheet 9-12 Pages

Second:  Bear Facts, Lake Zurich HS, Lake Zurich

Chris Radecki, editor

Carolyn Wagner, adviser

Pacemakers

Yearbook – More than 353 Pages

Etruscan, Glenbrook South HS, Glenview

Taylor Rech, Kyle Redden, editors

Brenda Field, adviser

Online 1,500 or great enrollment

The Voice Online, Huntley HS, Huntley

Michael Geheren, editor

Dennis Brown, adviser

JEA Winners

Rising Star

Evelyn Lauer, CJE, Niles West High School, Skokie

New MJE

Elizabeth J. Levin, Downers Grove North High School

Kathy J. Smith, Downers Grove  North High School

(Our apologies for any omissions)

Sydney Scarlata -- 2012 Illinois Journalist of the Year

Sydney Scarlata of The University of Chicago Laboratory Schools is the 2012 Illinois Scholastic Journalist of the Year.  Scarlata, editor of the U-High Midway, was selected from a field of talented journalists who submitted outstanding portfolios.  Scarlata’s  adviser is Wayne Brasler.  The runner up is Daniel Brount, of Wheeling High School where he is editor of The Spokesman.   He has been advised by John Uhrik and Karen Barrett, MJE.  Receiving honorable mention was Madeline Conway, editor of The Prospector at Prospect High School in Mount Prospect.  Her adviser is Jason Block, CJE.

All three will be honored at the IJEA’s annual awards luncheon.  The 2012 event will be Saturday, June 2 at the Executive Mansion in Springfield.  It is underwritten by the Illinois Press Foundation.

Jamey VanZandt

Congratulations to SISPA adviser winners announced Feb. 29, 2012, at the annual conference in Carbondale.

• Newspaper Adviser of the Year: Jamey VanZandt, Mount Vernon HS, Vernois News adviser.

• Yearbook Adviser of the Year: Hillary Gee, Carmi-White HS, Carmian adviser.

Hillary Gee

Barb Fuson, my high school newspaper adviser, kindly agreed to pass on this message to you. (I owe my journalism career to her. She gave me my start!)

1. Which schools typically interested your students who want to major in journalism in college?

2. Why do they choose them?

3. How much multimedia are you now incorporating at your high school publication(s)?

4. What kind of equipment are your students using, and do they own it or does the school provide it?

Thank you very much.

Jackie Spinner
Journalist, Professor, U.S. Fulbright Scholar
202-441-0228
www.jackiespinner.net
@spinonspin

Pacemaker winners will be announced at the JEA/NSPA spring conference in Seattle scheduled for April 12 -15.

At a ceremony Saturday, June 4, 2011, at the Executive Mansion in Springfield, the IJEA honored the state’s top high school journalists. At this annual event, co-sponsored by the Illinois Press Foundation, students, their advisers and their families celebrated excellence in scholastic journalism. The keynote speaker was Dave Bakke, a columnist at the State Journal-Register.

(Above) Congratulations to the 2011 All-State Journalism Team, from left Teagan Ferraresi, Hersey HS, adviser Janet Levin; Michaela Eickhoff, Oakland HS, adviser Tim Lee; Robert Jake Hamilton, O’Fallon HS, advisers Kristin Strubhart, Ashlee Heady and Lindsay Kusmierczak; Meagan Flynn, Huntley HS, adviser Dennis Brown; Michael McKenna, Rolling Meadows HS, adviser Stan Zoller; Sydney Scarlatta, University HS-Chicago, adviser Wayne Brasler; Sierra Lowe, Belvidere North HS, adviser Mike Doyle.

(Above) Congratulations to the Illinois Journalist of the Year Alexandria Johnson of Rolling Meadows HS and runner-up Faiaz Khan (left) of University HS-Chicago and Jake Hamilton of O’Fallon Township HS. Their advisers are Stan Zoller, Wayne Brasler and Kristin Strubhart, Ashlee Heady and Lindsay Kusmierczak.

(Above) Tina Cantrell, principal at John Hersey High School, was honored as Administrator of the Year by the IJEA. Former IJEA Executive Secretary James Tidwell, introduced Cantrell at a ceremony June 4 at the Executive Mansion in Springfield, and cited her for her commitment to a free student press at Hersey. She was nominated by adviser Janet Levin.