Congratulations to these 15 student journalists, who have been named to IJEA’s 2024 All-State Journalism Team:

• Taariq Ahmed | University of Chicago Laboratory H.S. | Logan Aimone, adviser
• Maggie Armstrong | Huntley H.S. | Dennis Brown, adviser
• Sasha Baumgartner | West Chicago H.S. | Leslie Fireman, adviser
• Juliana Conyer | Downers Grove South H.S. | Mary Long, adviser
• Jessy Gone | Huntley H.S. | Dennis Brown, adviser
• ltzel Gutierrez | Oswego East H.S. | Colleen Calvey, adviser
• Madison Harvey | McHenry H.S. | Mitch Stengel, adviser
• Tyler Moore | St. Charles North H.S. | Katherine Heurung
• Olin Nafziger | University of Chicago Laboratory H.S. | Jayna Rumble, adviser
• P.J. O’Grady | Prospect H.S. | Jason Block, adviser
• Justin Peabody | Prospect H.S. | Jason Block, adviser
• Katie Pfotenhauer | Kaneland H.S. | Dominic Bruno, adviser
• Madelyn Robbins | Washington Community H.S. | Jennifer Reiser, adviser
• Abigail Ruebush | Normal Community H.S. | Brad Bovenkerk, adviser
• Katherine Schlueter | Glenbard West H.S. | David Save, adviser

More information about the 2024 team members will be published soon.

This year’s team was announced at the annual IJEA-sponsored advisers breakfast held during the IHSA journalism state finals April 26 at Heartland Community College in Normal.

Members of the All-State Journalism Team, their parents/guardians and their advisers will be invited to IJEA’s All-State and Illinois Journalist of the Year Luncheon on Saturday, June 1, at the Inn at 835 in Springfield. Team members and advisers should watch their email for details.

Since the spring of 2005, the IJEA All-State Journalism Team has recognized those students who have proven themselves indispensable to their respective school media (e.g., yearbook, print or online newspaper, print or online newsmagazine, broadcast or other journalistic media).

We began the All-State Journalism Team as a way to recognize those students who are “most valuable players” — those students whose leadership, energy, dedication and expertise make their publications possible but whose main contributions often occur behind the scenes.

This is what makes the All-State Team different from other high school journalism honors. It’s not about the byline. We don’t select the year’s best writer, photographer, designer or broadcaster — although many All-State honorees would do just fine in those kinds of contests!

Instead, we choose those student journalists who’ve put their publications ahead of themselves.

They’re the ones who are willing to sacrifice their spare time to make sure other people’s stories are well edited. They’re the ones who make sure a publication’s pages are smartly designed, the headlines witty, the photos well composed, the website up to date and easy to navigate, the videos smoothly produced and the information in every story accurate and fair. They’re the ones who don’t seek recognition but who deserve it most of all.

Each year, all Illinois student journalists in grades 9-12 are eligible to be nominated by their advisers, who must be members of the Illinois Journalism Education Association.

Congratulations again to our 2024 team members!