Green Valley school paper takes top prize
Green Valley High School’s newspaper was named best in its division Wednesday at the 31st annual Review-Journal High School Journalism Awards, and editor Kimberly Medina walked away with a stack of individual honors.
It is the fourth year in a row that the school’s newspaper, The InvestiGator, has received the top prize in the standard format category.
Ben Barnholdt, the newspaper’s adviser for the past four years and a former broadcast journalist, attributed the publication’s success to the hard work of its staff members.
“They are committed to the profession of journalism,” he said.
Barnholdt said the staff voted to add a fourth draft to the writing process for each of the newspaper’s stories. “Each draft includes tears and a little bit of anger,” he said.
Medina and Desiree Montalvo served as co-editors of The InvestiGator this year. Both received the award for best newspaper, and Medina was named Most Valuable Staffer.
Medina also received five other awards, including first-place honors for best sports feature and best entertainment story.
Barnholdt described Medina as dedicated and selfless. He said she has a habit of helping other students in the newsroom before focusing on her own work. She also rises at 4:30 each morning to fit in her 90-minute swim practice before school starts at 7:30 a.m., he said.
Medina, a 17-year-old senior, said she has been accepted into the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno.
“I really want to make a career out of it,” said Medina, who also will compete on the university’s swim team.
Medina said participating on her high school’s newspaper staff has given her opportunities she would not have had otherwise, such as the chance to interview former President Carter and swimmer Janet Evans, an Olympic gold medalist.
Nearly 500 people, including Clark County School District Superintendent Walt Rulffes, attended the awards luncheon at the MGM Grand.
Gregan Wingert, a senior at Las Vegas High School, and Jessica Fryman, a senior at Liberty High School, each received a $2,000 scholarship for their work on R-Jeneration, a weekly section in the Review-Journal written by high school students. They were among seven R-Jeneration participants to receive Most Valuable Staffer awards for their work on the special section.
Wingert, 17, also serves as managing editor for her school newspaper, The Desert Breeze. She said she plans to study journalism at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and someday work as a reporter. She said she loves everything about journalism: “meeting people, talking to people, learning their stories and writing.”
Fryman serves as editor of her school’s newspaper, The Tribune, and was named the publication’s Most Valuable Staffer.
Students from 30 high schools in Clark County were honored at the luncheon.
Faith Lutheran High School’s publication, The Crusader Chronicle, won the award for best newspaper in a reduced format. It is the fourth year the newspaper, which is magazine-sized, has received the award.
Review-Journal staff members judged entries in 27 categories.
Most Valuable Staffers from each school newspaper were selected by their advisers.
R-JENERATION SCHOLARSHIPS
• Jessica Fryman, Liberty High School
• Gregan Wingert, Las Vegas High School
• Best newspaper (standard format): First, The InvestiGator, Green Valley, Kimberly Medina and Desiree Montalvo, editors; second, The Mountain Lion Messenger, Sierra Vista, Holly Villamagna and Johnson Ukken, editors; third, The Coronado Roar, Coronado, Allie Moriarty and Monica Snoblen, editors; honorable mention, The Tribune, Liberty, Jessica Fryman, editor.
• Best newspaper (reduced format): First, The Crusader Chronicle, Faith Lutheran, Melissa Crutchfield, Natalie Hayes and Chanda Decristoforo, editors; second, The Pony Express, The Meadows School, Lauren Hoenemeyer and Kerry McLaughlin, editors; third, The Lance, Bishop Gorman, Steve Beyer and Rosemary Peters, editors.
• Best editorial: First, Erika Turner, Liberty; second, Kimberly Medina, Green Valley; third, Jeremy Gallion, Liberty.
• Humorous opinion writing: First, Benjamin Ross, Green Valley; second, Jennifer Rajchel, Liberty; third, Lauren Noorda, Shadow Ridge; honorable mention, Leigh Anne Duncan, Las Vegas Academy.
• Serious opinion writing: First, Lauren Clark, Eldorado; second, Asia Mayfield, The Meadows; third, Gregan Wingert, Las Vegas; honorable mention, Diana Terrazas, Eldorado.
• Pro-con opinion writing: First, Emma DeWees and Catalina Burns, Foothill; second, Jeremy Gallion and Christina Hogue, Liberty; third, Kimberly Medina and Courtney Stachler, Green Valley; honorable mention, Rachel Alger and Caitlyn Belcher, Foothill.
• Best artwork: First, Raquel Treichel, Liberty; second, Ginny Sifritt, Green Valley; third, Melissa Ramirez, Green Valley; honorable mention, Kerry McLaughlin, The Meadows.
• Best editorial cartoon: First, Raquel Treichel, Liberty; second, Chanelle Bessette, Spring Valley; third, Nana Kufuor, The Meadows; honorable mention, Brandon Dong, Faith Lutheran.
• Best sports news story: First, Marc Beck, The Meadows; second, Thomas Godfrey, Sierra Vista; third, Amanda Carroll, Bonanza; honorable mention, Caroline Carpenter, Green Valley.
• Best sports feature: first, Kimberly Medina, Green Valley; second, Lexie Stone, Foothill; third, Leah Ballard, Clark; honorable mention, Asia Sapp, Liberty, and Kerry McLaughlin, The Meadows.
• Best news story: First, Holly Villamagna, Sierra Vista; second, Anupa Gewali, Green Valley; third, Kimberly Medina, Green Valley; honorable mention, Briana Padilla, Sierra Vista.
• Best news feature story: First, Alexa Kelly, Liberty; second, Kirsten Martin, Del Sol; third, Jennifer Rajchel, Liberty; honorable mention, Pashtana Usufzy, Arbor View.
• Best feature story: First, Desiree Montalvo, Green Valley; second, Rachel Alger, Foothill; third, Andrew Gilbreth, Bonanza; honorable mention: Lauren Noorda, Shadow Ridge, and Holly Villamagna, Sierra Vista.
• Best entertainment story: First, Kimberly Medina, Green Valley; second, Johnson Ukken, Sierra Vista; third, Carolina Chacon, Advanced Technologies Academy, and Cash Colligan, Liberty; honorable mention, Whitney Moreland, Cheyenne, Caprice Howard, Desert Pines, and Armando Bravo, Arbor View.
• Best review: First, Marissa Bergman, Las Vegas Academy; second, Jeremy Gallion, Liberty; third, Charity Ziebarth, Faith Lutheran; honorable mention, TaJané Perry, Canyon Springs.
• Best Page One design (standard format): First, Johnson Ukken, Sierra Vista; second, Barbara Guiua, Liberty; third, Michael Hedden, Green Valley; honorable mention, Lyberti Nelson, Canyon Springs.
• Best Page One design (reduced format): First, Josue Vargas, Morris Sunset East; second, Lauren Hoenemeyer and Kerry McLaughlin, The Meadows; third, Vince Magliulo, Faith Lutheran.
• Best sports page design (standard format): First, Alexa Kelly and Barbara Guiua, Liberty; second, Michael Hedden, Green Valley.
• Best sports page design (reduced format): First, Lauren Hoenemeyer and Kerry McLaughlin, The Meadows; second, Angie Miller, Faith Lutheran.
• Best features, arts or entertainment page design (standard format): First, Michael Hedden and Desiree Montalvo, Green Valley; second, Allie Moriarty, Coronado; third, Andrew Gilbreth, Bonanza; honorable mention, Emma DeWees and Rachel Alger, Foothill.
• Best features, arts or entertainment page design (reduced format): First, Vince Magliulo, Faith Lutheran; second, Alex Ma, Advanced Technologies Academy.
• Best headline: First, Kerstin Kent, Faith Lutheran; second, Rachel Alger, Foothill; third, Lauren Clark, Eldorado.
• Best advertisement: First, Amber Briscoe and Caitlyn Belcher, Foothill; second, Kerstin Kent, Faith Lutheran; third, Jessica Fryman and Matthew Cowles, Liberty; honorable mention, Brittany Benson, Centennial.
• Best sports photo: First, John Callahan, Arbor View; second, Oliver Padilla, Green Valley; third, John Callahan, Arbor View; honorable mention, Barbara Guiua, Liberty.
• Best news photo: First, Anupa Gewali, Green Valley; second, Monica Snoblen, Coronado; third, Jessica Fryman, Liberty; honorable mention, Gregan Wingert, Las Vegas.
• Best feature photo: First, Oliver Padilla, Green Valley; second, Jessica Fryman, Liberty; third, Matt Cullen, Faith Lutheran; honorable mention, Charity Ziebarth, Faith Lutheran.
• Best photo illustration: First, Rachel Alger, Foothill; second, Catalina Burns, Foothill; third, Barbara Guiua, Liberty; honorable mention, Barbara Guiua, Liberty.
• Student correspondent of the year: Asia Mayfield, The Meadows School.
• Most Valuable Staffer awards: Arbor View, Johnathon Dolpies; Advanced Technologies Academy, Carolina Chacon; Basic, Kristen Sroczynski; Bishop Gorman, Steve Beyer; Bonanza, Angela Acosta; Canyon Springs, Janell Witherspoon; Centennial, Brittany Benson; Cheyenne, Whitney Moreland; Cimarron-Memorial, Jessica Scroggins; Clark, Crystal Chase; Coronado, Allie Moriarty; Del Sol, Stephanie Dean; Desert Pines, Caprice Howard; Durango, Ashley Sisolak; Eldorado, Jenna Uong; Faith Lutheran, Sarah Sunderman; Foothill, Emma DeWees; Green Valley, Kimberly Medina; Indian Springs, Kaila Worshek; Las Vegas, Amanda Adams; Las Vegas Academy, Leigh Anne Duncan; Liberty, Jessica Fryman; The Meadows, Kerry McLaughlin; Mojave, Deja Green; Morris Sunset East, Josue Vargas; Palo Verde, Ashley Mitchell; Shadow Ridge, Lauren Noorda; Sierra Vista, Holly Villamagna; Silverado, Catherine Rex; Spring Valley, Chanelle Bessette.
• R-Jeneration team members: Steve Beyer, Bishop Gorman; Carolina Chacon, Advanced Technologies Academy; Casey Goodwin, Advanced Technologies Academy; Anthony Graham, Liberty; Lisa Herr, Coronado; Lauren Hoenemeyer, Meadows; Shaundale Holtzclaw, Cheyenne; Alex Ma, Advanced Technologies Academy; Lauren Noorda, Shadow Ridge; Jacob Peck, Las Vegas Academy; Rosemary Peters, Bishop Gorman; Kayla-Jo Rosoff, Sierra Vista; Kelli Schleuter, Coronado; Megan Schneider, Las Vegas Academy; Linsey Scriven, Las Vegas Academy; Monica Snoblen, Coronado; Viktoriya Uliyanova, Arbor View; Skylar Williams, Basic.
• R-Jeneration Most Valuable Staffers: Jessica Fryman, Liberty; Ricardo Lopez, Advanced Technologies Academy; Lyberti Nelson, Canyon Springs; Leah Parr, Las Vegas Academy; Lea Rudner, Palo Verde; Kristen Sroczynski, Basic; Gregan Wingert, Las Vegas.
