Shield repeats as national Blue and Gold champion
MacJournalists earn four Sweepstakes, 23 total awards to sweep all three top staff awards in international writing, photo and multimedia contest
March 15, 2019
For the second straight year, MacJournalism has won the Blue and Gold Award for Staff Excellence in the Quill and Scroll International Writing, Photo and Multimedia Contest.
The Blue and Gold Award for Staff Excellence honors high school newsrooms for overall excellence in product. It is the highest Blue and Gold Award a staff can receive.
In order to win the award, McCallum journalists captured four of the 30 Sweepstakes (or First Place) awards and a total of 23 first, second, third or honorable mention awards in the 2019 competition.
Students from five countries submitted 2,486 entries over all 30 categories, and judges chose 268 winning entries produced by 319 students, or National Winners. Every winning entry earns a Quill and Scroll Gold Key.
Quill and Scroll honors Sweepstakes Winners (First Place) in every category with a special framed certificate. All National Winners (Sweepstakes, Second Place, Third Place and Honorable Mention) receive award letters and are eligible to apply for Quill and Scroll Scholarships, which have an application deadline of May 10.
MacJournalism also won the Blue and Gold Award for Staff Excellence in 2018.
Schools with the most winning entries receive Blue and Gold Awards for Writing, Visual and Overall Excellence.
Here are those winning schools:
Staff Excellence
McCallum High School, Austin, Texas
Visual Excellence
First Place: McCallum High School, Austin, Texas
Second Place: Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kan.
Third Place: Johnston High School, Johnston, Iowa (Tie) and Carmel High School, Carmel, Ind. (Tie)
Writing Excellence
First Place: McCallum High School, Austin, Texas
Second Place: St. John’s School, Houston, Texas
Third Place: Cedar Park High School, Cedar Park, Texas
Quill and Scroll released a slide show of all the winning entries (with judge’s commentary), which you can view by clicking this link.
To complete list of McCallum winners with links to their winning entries is included below.
Sweepstakes (First-Place) Winners
Category 6: In-Depth Individual Reporting
Sophie Ryland, “AISD: A segregated district, then and now.”
Category 8: Sports Writing
Gregory James, “A blessing in disguise.”
Category 17: Photo Slideshow
Maeve Walsh, “A broken home. A broken family. A broken heart.”
Category 25: Informational Graphic
Charlie Holden, “What is suspicious?”
Second-Place Winners
Category 1: Editorial Writing
Kristen Tibbetts, “We have all been Hood-winked.”
Category 4: Opinion Writing
Emma Baumgardner, “Not a reading rainbow.”
Category 16: Photo Illustration
Julie Robertson, “Under Fire.”
Third-Place Winners
Category 12: Blogging
Max Rhodes, “Rhodes Traveled.”
Category 17: Photo Slideshow
Pearl Heinley, “Nau’s the time to remember the past.”
A view from table 13 shows the colorful scramble and order-in-chaos that comes with 60, going on 70, years of experience. With the current owner, Mr. Lambert Labay’s old age, the responsibilities and maintenance are starting to fall more and more heavily on Laura’s shoulders. “We’re having to tear down our family home after many many years, which has been, you know, a very destructive force for the pharmacy,” she said about the West Lynn property, a landmark for the neighborhood, “It’s a little bittersweet this Christmas you know having my dad been sick last Christmas Eve. It’s just a precious time to have everyone together So the best gift right now would be the gift of health.”
Honorable Mention Winners
Category 2: News Writing
Kelsey Tasch, “Stretched too thin.”
Category 4: Personal Opinion Column
Sophie Ryland, “‘We regret to inform you…’”
Category 8: Sports Writing
Julie Robertson, “Taylor takes Pflugerville job, calling it ‘a leap of faith.’”
Category 9: Profile Writing
Bella Russo, “The adventures continue for Zulmy Galindo.”
Lucy Marco, “Mr. Whiz to retire after 49 years of teaching.”
Janssen Transier, “Lifeguarding legend has Mac roots.”
Category 10: Political Writing
Gregory James, “For these three Knights, cost of government shutdown hits close to home.”
Emma Baumgardner, “The struggle to legislate gun safety.”
Category 13: News Feature Photography
Madison Olsen, “They’ve had enough.”
Madison Olsen, “Molly Gardner walks out with her peers.”
on Olsen, “MSD High senior Jack Haimowitz at #marchforourlives at Texas Capitol.”
Coach G got a Gatorade shower following the Knights decisive win over Crockett in a game that all but punched the Knights’ ticket to the playoffs. Photo by Caleb Melville..
Category 15: Sports Reaction Photography
Caleb Melville, “Coach G got a Gatorade shower.”
Category 16: Photo Illustration
Charlie Holden, “’We regret to inform you. …‘”
Category 25: Informational Graphic
Maddie Doran and Julie Robertson, “Parting remarks.”
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High senior Jack Haimowitz shares an embrace after his emotional speech at today’s #marchforourlives at the Texas Capitol in downtown Austin. Haimowitz spoke of the awful Feb. 14 shooting on his campus. “What took place on Valentine’s Day not only stripped the students of Douglas of their innocence, but it brutally ripped 17 lives from their homes.” He also spoke of the resolve he and his classmates and have found since the shooting. “We are the change we never knew we needed, and we have found the strength that we never knew we were looking for. … Every day I see people not only wishing for change but refusing to accept anything else.” He also pleaded with the audience for unity. “If we ever wish to fully overcome the hatred and fear of a scale such as this, we must unite as Americans regardless of the societal, racial and physical constructs put in place to hinder our unification.” Photo by Madison Olsen.
ava • Mar 28, 2019 at 9:35 am
YAY MCCALLUM GREAT JOB
Risa • Mar 23, 2019 at 2:34 pm
I really liked this news story because of how exciting this event was and I also like hearing the details on our success.