Pennsylvania School Press Association's 2024 Student Journalism Competition Finals took place on Wednesday, April 3 at Penn State University's main campus.

Students who previously qualified at regional events participated in a press conference with Sarah Higgins, Penn State University's Assistant Athletics Director, who spoke about her career path and her work in creative content and branding. Students then competed in writing, design, photography, and video categories based on the themes of the conference. 

The afternoon featured roudtables with Penn State University students in the Bellisario College of Communications, as well as a presentation by Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year Ashlie Crosson. Student representatives shared information about the campaign for New Voices legislation in Pennsylvania. 

The following publications were recognized as the Clyde F. Lytle All-State Awards:
Literary Magazine: Winchster Thurston School | Plaid Literary Magazine
Yearbook: Kiski Area High School | Campus
Newspaper: Conestoga High School | The Spoke
Website: Strath Haven High School | The Panther Press

​The 2024 Pennsylvania Student Journalist of the Year, Ben Shapiro of Conestoga High School shared remarks about his path in journalism, and the 2024 Journalism Teacher of the Year Mr. David Weikert accepted a certificate of recognition.

The following students earned first place ranking in their their categories at the 2024 Student Journalism Competitions. Click each student journalist's name to see the winning entry. 

1Y | Yearbook Caption Writing | Charlotte Horetsky | Strath Haven HS
2Y | Yearbook Copy Writing | Claudia Caruso | Perkiomen Valley HS
3Y | Yearbook Sports | Olivia McMinn | Altoona Area HS
4Y  | Yearbook Spread Design | Norah Carver | North East HS
5N | Newspaper News Writing | Alexis Behrens | Southern Lehigh HS
6N | Newspaper Feature Writing | Gabe Meyers | Emmaus HS
7N | Newspaper Sports Writing | Andrew Woods | Blackhawk HS
8E | Editorial Cartoon | Molly Kuhar | Lake-Lehman Jr./Sr. High​
9E | Editorial Writing | Laila Warrick | Franklin Learning Center
10L | Literary Magazine Poetry | Haley Zeller | Kiski Area HS
11L | Literary Magazine Artwork | Leah Gonzalez-Diaz | Strath Haven HS
12B | Broadcast News Writing | Sarah Brosius | McDowell HS
13YP | Yearbook Photography |  Brennan Moore | Kiski Area
14NP | Newspaper Photography | Ruby Morris | North Allegheny
15BF | Broadcast Feature | Katie Heimbach and Jared Reinhard | Palmerton Area
15BN | Broadcast News | Kaitlyn Over, Jacob Zambito, and Nora Reiner | Northeastern
16BL | Blog | Makenzie Closson | Altoona Area
17POD | Podcast | Elsa Hoderewski | Parkland

Photography contestants took so many excellent photos, we've also compiled the "best of" SJC Finals:

• The Best of Yearbook Photography (13YP)
• The Best of Newspaper Photography (14NP)

PSPA is grateful to our hosts at Penn State University and the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications for the organizational and on-site support.

The Pennsylvania School Press Association is pleased to announce that Ben Shapiro of Conestoga High School in Berwyn is the 2024 Dr. Jane Blystone Pennsylvania Student Journalist of the Year.
"This honor motivates me to continue striving for excellence in journalism, to uncover truths and to shed light on the issues that matter most. I'm grateful for the recognition and inspired to keep pushing boundaries in pursuit of informing and engaging audiences,” Shapiro said.

Shapiro is the Editor-in-Chief and a four-year staff member of The Spoke, Conestoga’s student-run newspaper. He previously served as News Editor and Copy Editor. During his time as a student journalist, he has been recognized for his reporting and writing by the Pennsylvania Newsmedia Association Foundation, Quill and Scroll and the Pennsylvania Federation of Press Women.

As for his future plans, Shapiro is attending Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in the fall where he will study journalism.

In her recommendation letter, broadcast journalism teacher and co-newspaper adviser, Alison Ferriola, says Ben is “the model for student journalism at Conestoga High School,” and co-adviser Laura Howard adds that “he’s constantly searching for the truth both within our school community, as well as our regional community and the world at large. He tackles sensitive topics with grace, while still teaching our readers about themselves.”

Student Journalist of the Year candidates submit comprehensive portfolios which are judged on categories of the Journalism Education Association’s curriculum, including News and Reporting, Law and Ethics, Leadership, Photojournalism, Broadcast Journalism, Commitment to Diversity, Web and Social Media, Audience Engagement and Design. A panel of judges evaluates the portfolios and provides specific feedback to the student entrants.

Not only is Shapiro a model student journalist at school, he is also an advocate for student press rights. One judge noted “If anyone in this state has been more involved with ethics, law and real news literacy, I need to meet them. From an in-school leader to an outspoken community leader Ben's fight for the rights of High School Journalists is unwavering.”

Shapiro will submit his portfolio for national SJOY consideration, where his work will be judged alongside other current winners from across the country. The national winner and runners-up will be announced April 5 at the National High School Journalism Convention in Kansas City. Shapiro will also be honored at the PSPA state finals April 3 at Penn State University, where he will be presented with a $500 scholarship.
​
PSPA also congratulates honorable mentions, Angie Wang of Germantown Academy and Eden Savoy of Berwick High School, with commendations to Tanisha Agrawal of Conestoga High School, Zorian Edwards of Saegertown High School, Ethan Kurtz of Lower Dauphin High School and Vanessa Stauffer of Parkland High School. 

​

Dear advisers,

With the first half of the school year now behind us, I wanted to share some information and exciting opportunities with you and your students regarding the weeks and months ahead.

PSPA REGIONAL STUDENT JOURNALISM CONTEST (SJC) RESULTS & STATE FINALS

In recent weeks, Paul Fantaski (PSPA SJC Chair), emailed results and judges' feedback to advisers from schools who competed in our Fall Regional SJCs. Regional Site Coordinators are currently in the process of compiling students' actual entries from the contests to return to advisers, so students will be able to reference their work when reviewing their feedback. Keep an eye out for those emails in the coming days.

Advisers of students who qualified for Finals: We're currently working with Penn State to develop an itinerary for the day, and I will be sharing all of those details with you as soon as they are finalized and available. In the meantime, as I'm aware many of you have begun the planning process for the trip, here's what we know so far:

Who: Competing students (and their advisers/chaperones). Each school may bring up to five non-competing guests or students. If you need/would like to bring more than five non-competing guests or students, please notify us as soon as possible.
What: 2024 PSPA SJC Finals
Where: Penn State University, University Park | HUB-Robeson Center
When: Wednesday, April 3 | ~9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Cost: There is no fee for Finals competition.
Lunch: On your own. There is a food court in the HUB-Robeson center and a number of dining options along College Ave. within walking distance from campus. We're working on getting some information from Penn State on how to support students who may not have debit cards, since the HUB is all cashless dining. Please stay tuned.

I hope that's enough for everyone to process travel requests; however, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me or Paul at any time. If you joined PSPA in the time since our Regionals, we hope to see you at next year's competitions! Be on the lookout for information on that, as well as other PSPA news and offerings, in the coming months.


PENNSYLVANIA STUDENT JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
The Pennsylvania Student Journalist of the Year contest is officially open and runs through February 10. Please encourage any outstanding senior you have to apply. The PA winner wins a scholarship and advances to the national competition. If you have any questions, you can contact Cyndi Hyatt, PJOY chair/JEA State Director, a [email protected].


CALL FOR STUDENT WORK
Scholastic Journalism Week (February 19-23) and Student Press Freedom Day (February 22) are quickly approaching, and the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association (PNA) wants to help us spread the word! Have your students write an opinion piece or produce a broadcast video explaining the importance of student journalism, in celebration of Scholastic Journalism Week and/or Student Press Freedom Day, and send it to me with the subject line "SJW Submission" by February 9 for a chance to be published in a Pennsylvania regional publication! If they publish their work on your school's website, feel free to send the link to the published work. PNA has offered to distribute student work to local media outlets and encourage them to publish these pieces in support/celebration of Scholastic Journalism Week and Student Press Freedom Day. I hope you'll encourage your students to take advantage of this awesome opportunity!

Resources:

• Student Press Law Center 
• Student Press Freedom Day 
• Scholastic Journalism Week
• Pennsylvania New Voices
• Your experiences as a student journalist

Sample Columns

• Pennsylvania needs the student journalism protection act | The Spoke, Conestoga H.S.
• Student journalism is real journalism | The Panther Press, Strath Haven H.S.
• Student journalists celebrate Student Press Freedom Day with call for New Voices in PA | FHS Press, Freedom Area H.S.
• The Stinger protects and supports student voices, right to free speech | The Stinger, Emmaus H.S.

That's all for now. If there's any way that PSPA can help you, your students, or your programs in any way, please don't hesitate to reach out. Otherwise, we'll be in touch in the coming weeks and months with further details for advisers of SJC finalists and the latest from PSPA. Until then, be well, everyone!

Thanks!
Aaron

The Pennsylvania School Press Association is proud to announce the state finalists in its 2023-2024 Student Journalism Contests. Over 700 students competed in regional contests at Point Park University, Slippery Rock University, Penn State Behrend, York College, Juniata College, Temple University, Bloomsburg University, and Penn State Berks. The winners will compete for a state championship on April 3, 2024 at Penn State University.

Please review the list of winners at the link.

Congratulations to all of our participating student journalists and their advisers. We look forward to celebrating with you at the state finals. Watch for more details in early February.

Congratulations to Evan Lu, of Conestoga High School, for winning PSPA's Student Journalist of the Year! Check out his impressive portfolio here.

Congratulations to the PSPA State Champions from 2023!
​

• 1Y - Yearbook Caption Writing - Olivia Shive - Northeastern HS
• 2Y - Yearbook Copy Writing - Makenzia Closson - Altoona Area HS
• 3Y - Yearbook Sport Writing - Quinn Colburn - State College Area HS
• 4Y - Yearbook Spread Design - Kaylee Ostrowski - Freedom Area HS
• 5N - Newspaper News Story Writing - Emma Noss - Avonworth HS
• 6N - Newspaper Feature Writing - Melissa Krainer - Altoona Area HS
• 7N - Newspaper Sports Writing - Howard Kim - Conestoga HS
• 8E - Editorial Cartoon - Raima Saha - Conestoga HS
• 9E - Editorial Cartoon - Maya Shah - Conestoga HS
• 10L Literary Magazine Poetry - Andrew Hudak - Slippery Rock Area HS
• 11L - Literary Magazine Artwork - Leah Gonzalez-Diaz - Strath Haven HS
• 12B - Broadcast Writing - Bridget Lawn - Lower Duaphin HS
• 13YP - Yearbook Photography - Ryan Schmidt - Kiski Area HS
• 14NP - Newspaper Photography - Katelyn Hunsberger - Montoursville Area HS
• 15BF - Broadcast Feature Package - Sophia Mazzocco - McDowell HS
• 15NP - Broadcast News Package - Evelynn Renner, Kyle Force, Kaitlyn Over - Northeastern HS