Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Edwardsville High School Entry Title: Uninterrupted: The First 4 Classes to Experience High School Lockdown-Free Since COVID-19 Entry Credit: Zach Kennett, Sami McKenney Judge Comment: A perfect subject for a feature. A look back on such an historical event and its impact on your school community. You have strong sources who represent a variety of experiences, both students and teachers, who tell good, honest stories, peppered with facts and data to explain those stories in context. Nicely done, and timely.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Edwardsville High School Entry Title: Family, Found: Black Student Union Begins Forging Legacy of Togetherness Entry Credit: Sami McKenney Judge Comment: Really lovely. Intricate story-telling in their voices. We see them in real time, interacting, negotiating, supporting. It’s a lot of detail and background to showcase the group and event.. And it's more than that. We see teenagers' passions at work. How they function when something is important to them. How nice that they let the reporter see and record it all.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Naperville Central High School Entry Title: 'Doing what no one else does': The vital role of paraprofessionals in District 203 Entry Credit: Sarah Segvich Judge Comment: Great topic for your school community. Relevant not just to them but to their students and the teachers who work with them. Inside look at salaries, the realities of their jobs, in context by looking at other schools. You showed them at work in the opening. Maybe more of that, and at the end as a frame for the piece
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: Niles West High School Entry Title: Immigration Series: Elizabeth Valencia Entry Credit: Isabela Valencia Judge Comment: Her grandmother’s story. Brave to tell it. Brave to have lived it. Brutal and kind and loving and frightening, all in one piece.
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: Naperville Central High School Entry Title: Youth voices amplified Entry Credit: C.J. Getting Judge Comment: An amazing opportunity and experience.
