Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Elmwood Park High School Entry Title: Service and surfin’: EPHS students visit the Dominican Republic Entry Credit: Yeimi Alday Judge Comment: Students traveled to Costa Rica to learn, provide service, earn credit, etc. Good overview and chock full of info about the program, the trip and the students and staff. Nice job. The reader feels as if he were there with them!
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Kaneland High School Entry Title: Rising Tuitions: The Challenges of Affording College Entry Credit: Anna Gatz Judge Comment: Excellent writing style and story flow. Good use of primary and secondary sources. Lots of good information to provide context. Love the descriptive lead, but it takes five graphs to get to the real topic. Mention cost a bit earlier. Nice job.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: University of Chicago Laboratory High School Entry Title: Skipping breakfast makes students run on empty Entry Credit: Orlie Weitzman Judge Comment: Good quick story. Does your school cafeteria have any insight into the practices of your student body? Does your kitchen staff consider these same issues? How many people pop down for something to eat in the morning? What is offered? Any breakfast places near the school? Nice anecdotes, use of background data and good story flow.
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: Walter Payton High School Entry Title: Meet your 2025-26 LSC student representatives Entry Credit: Alexa Gola Judge Comment: I liked this piece a lot and felt that I had a good understanding of their goals. I did not feel as if I got to know them as much. Maybe a little about themselves. Why do they personally do this? Does it feed into their future plans?
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: St. Viator High School Entry Title: Mrs Sanders: Inspiring a love for literature in every student Entry Credit: Marcus Hoog Judge Comment: New teacher profile, an important staple of the high school paper. Lots of good background. I think you answered any questions I might have about her, so GOOD JOB!
