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The Student News Site of McCallum High School

The Shield Online
The Student News Site of McCallum High School

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Renaissance woman Russo captures 11 ILPC individual achievement awards

Photographer, cartoonist, reporter and designer accounts for 17 percent of MacJournalism award tally
May 14, 2019

For this week’s #TuesdayTop10, we’d like to take a moment to celebrate the achievement of one of our own, first-year staffer Bella Russo. We have previously reported that MacJournalism  earned 63 individual achievement awards at the annual Interscholastic League Press Conference spring journalism convention on May 4-5. Russo earned (or was on a team that earned) 11 of those 63 awards. That’s 17 percent of our total earned by one very versatile staff member.

Russo was able to achieve such individual distinction by having a significant role in everything we do here at The Shield. We knew from her performance as a photojournalism rock star as a freshman that she could take great photographs, but she has done than and more. She has written well. She has designed well. She has illustrated well.

She earned ILPC awards in all of these areas. We thought she deserved a shout-out for being awesome at everything so here it is: a #Tuesday Top 10 (OK #TuesdayTop11 but who’s counting?) featuring the ILPC-award winning stories, designs, cartoons and photos of the one-and-only Bella Russo. We are very lucky that she is on our team.

First place, 5A Print Feature Photo

Bella Russo
5A FIRST PLACE, print feature photo
DO YOU REMEMBER (THE 21st NIGHT of SEPTEMBER)? Sophomore Addie Seckar-Martinez and her Blue Brigade teammates dance with pink hoops along to music played by the band during the halftime show at the LBJ football game on Sept. 21 at Nelson Field. Photo by Bella Russo.

First place, 5A Print Cartoon

Bella Russo
5A FIRST PLACE, print cartoon
Since the Robin Hood plan began in 1994, AISD has paid more than $3 billion into the program. Cartoon by Bella Russo.

Second place, 5A Print Photo Portfolio

Bella Russo
5A SECOND PLACE, print photo portfolio
McCallum senior Emily Freeman presents a two-minute speech in defense of McCallum’s fine arts programs to a packed cafeteria during a budget stabilization task force meeting on Nov. 7. Freeman was one of four speakers who presented public comments at the meeting. Photo by Bella Russo.
Bella Russo
5A SECOND PLACE, print photo portfolio
BREAKING THROUGH: In the Knights’ season opening 21-20 Taco Shack Bowl victory over Anderson on Aug. 30, Cole Davis runs the ball for a huge gain for the Knights that would set up a 16-yard Darius Lewis touchdown. Prior to that drive, the Knights were trailing by 13 points when the Knight defense stopped the Trojan offense on the Knight 1-yard line. By winning the game, the varsity football team broke the 8-8 tie between the two teams for the number of total wins in the series. Keeping with tradition,Taco Shack owner Orlando Arriaga was there to give the winning team the trophy, which has been McCallum for the past three years. Photo by Bella Russo.

Third place, 5A print headlines (with Jazzabelle Davishines and Kristen Tibbetts)

5A THIRD PLACE, print headline writing
Bella Russo, Jazzabelle Davishines and Kristen Tibbetts

Third place, 5A online student cartoon (we aren’t sure which one of these won)

Bella Russo
5A HONORABLE MENTION, online student artwork/cartoon
This stream of distractions not only prevents deep thinking but also the deep feeling that allows us to connect emotionally with others. Cartoon by Bella Russo.
Bella Russo
5A HONORABLE MENTION, online student artwork/cartoon
The academic rigor of senior year may prepare students well for college, but it does not do them any favors when they are applying to college. Cartoon by Bella Russo.

Third place, 5A online entertainment photo

Bella Russo
5A THIRD PLACE, online entertainment photo
SHINING SAWYER: Sophomore Helena Laing leads the tap ensemble as her character Peggy Sawyer in the “typewriter” dance for the finale dance. The dance move is done four times throughout the show and consists of the tap dancers moving their arms at 90-degree angles up and down while tapping their feet out to the sides back and forth. Photo by Bella Russo.

Third place, 5A print entertainment photo

5A THIRD PLACE, print entertainment photo
COVER PHOTO: The pre-professional dance company performs the number “Onsent(i)c” at the fall dance concert on Saturday, Oct. 27 in the AISD Performing Arts Center. The number was inspired by the #MeToo movement. Originally scheduled to occur in the McCallum Arts Center, the show was moved to the AISD after two fires left the MAC unable to host the show last weekend. Photo by Bella Russo.

Third place, 5A sport page design AND honorable mention 5A sports feature story

Bella Russo
5A THIRD PLACE, sports page design AND
5A HONORABLE MENTION, print sports page design

Honorable mention, 5A print in-depth feature package (with Jazzabelle Davishines and Diamante Diaz)

HONORABLE MENTION, print in-depth news/feature package
Bella Russo, Jazzabelle Davishines and Diamante Diaz

Honorable mention, 5A print sports feature photo

Bella Russo
5A HONORABLE MENTION, print sports feature photo
Surrounded by her teammates, Naiya Antar leads the crowd in a cheer at the Mac vs LBJ game. Although the game was lost 48-7, Antar says that she always has a good time no matter what the score. “To see the crowd going crazy over the football players and then get pumped up when they see us cheer, it’s really fun.” photo by Bella Russo.
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Renaissance woman Russo captures 11 ILPC individual achievement awards