South High journalism students are state champions!
Students from South High School in Downers Grove were named the 2018 State Champions in Journalism by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). More than 75 other teams competed at the state tournament and South High earned a total of 25 points to take the championship. In addition, Jonah Ocuto was named State Champion in Broadcast.
South High State Journalism State Finalists:
- Jonah Ocuto: State Champion in Broadcast
- Elizabeth Szpytek: 2nd place in Headline Writing
- Jayna Bardahl: 2nd place in Sports Writing
- Marc Alvarez: 3rd place in Opinions Writing
- Barbra Collins: 4th place in News Writing
- Sydney Hall: 5th place in Yearbook Caption Writing
Additional State Journalism Qualifiers:
- Emmanuelle Copeland: Editorial Cartooning
- Donte Reed: Yearbook Double Page Spread
- Rhaya Truman: Review Writing
“This year’s team was so strong and dedicated - I am so proud of these talented writers, designers, editors, artists, and filmmakers,” South High English teacher and Journalism sponsor Mary Long said. “Also, North High’s Journalism sponsor Elizabeth Levin was instrumental in helping expand our program. A few years ago she showed us the ropes and helped us enter the competitive journalism world.”
Additional South High journalism teachers who helped prepare South High students for this victory include Mark Indreika, Kari Alore, Katherine O’Truk, and Valerie Hardy.
On April 20, the Blueprint was awarded the Golden Eagle at the Northern Illinois Scholastic Press Association conference and on April 21 students were named sectional champions. More details on these specific awards can be found here.
South High administrators, teachers, advisors and journalism students celebrated their state championship in class on Wednesday, May 2. Click here to view photos of the celebration.