MacJournalists earn 19 CSPA Gold Circle Awards
Shield captures first in editorial writing, secondary news while Knight earns first in sports feature photography
Caleb Melville won first place in the yearbook sport feature photo category of the 2020 Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Circle Award competition. In the photo, Coach G gets a Gatorade shower following the Knights decisive win over Crockett in a game that all but punched the Knights’ ticket to the 2018 playoffs. Photo by Caleb Melville.
April 9, 2020
The Columbia Scholastic Press Association today announced 656 winners from among the 5,757 entries it received in its 37th Gold Circle Awards program, and 19 of those winners were submissions from McCallum journalists.
The newspaper, yearbook and photojournalism classes combined to win three first place awards, six second place awards, three third-place awards and seven certificates of merit.
Jazzabelle Davishines, Madelynn Niles and Bella Russo earned first place in digital media secondary news for their ongoing coverage of the AISD budget crisis last year. Gregory James, a 2019 graduate, earned first place in digital media editorial writing for his editorial defending the district’s decision to change the names of schools whose namesakes had ties to the Confederate States of America.
Junior Caleb Melville earned first place in yearbook sports feature photography for his 2018 photo of Coach G getting a Gatorade show after the Knights defeated Crockett to all but clinch a 2018 playoff appearance.
Davishines, Niles and Russo were also multiple Gold Circle Award winners as was fall 2019 Shield managing editor Stella Shenkman and 2019 Knight editor in chief Rylie Jones.
Entries were accepted from student yearbooks and digital media publications published from Oct. 2, 2018, through Oct. 1, 2019. Student journalists working on these print or electronic media chose from 39 yearbook categories and 52 digital media categories.
Student journalists working on these print or electronic media chose from 39 yearbook categories and 41 digital media categories.
The complete list of McCallum winners is listed below.
2020 COLUMBIA SCHOLASTIC PRESS ASSOCIATION GOLD CIRCLE AWARD WINNERS
DIGITAL MEDIA WINNERS
FIRST PLACE
Secondary Coverage
Jazzabelle Davishines, Madelynn Niles and Bella Russo, “AISD Budget Woes”
Editorial Writing
Gregory James, “What’s in a Name? In this Case, a Lot”
SECOND PLACE
Personal Opinion: On-Campus Issues
Diamante Diaz and Olivia Watts, “A New Health Crisis”
Sports Commentary
Steven Tibbetts, “Three and… Still On?”
Personality Profile
Madelynn Niles, “Mac Band’s New ‘Swedish Fish’”
Photo Slideshow
Maeve Walsh, “A broken family. A broken home. A broken heart.”
THIRD PLACE
In-depth News/Feature Story
Sophie Ryland, “Texas first in uninsured children”
Single Spot News Photograph
Grayson Cruise, “President on a Pedestal”
PRESIDENT ON PEDESTAL: Texas Amercan Fedederation of Teachers President Louis Malfaro stands upon the pedestal outside the Texas Capitol, speaking into the microphone. American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten to his immediate right. Photo by Grayson Cruise.
Photography Portfolio of work
Grace Nugent
RALLY COW AND HOW: The varsity baseball team trailed Dripping Springs 1-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh then rallied for two runs to defeat the second-place Tigers on April 16 and create a two-game lead in the district standings with only three games left to play. Trinidad De La Garza hit a one-out walk- off single with one out that plated Jacob Castillo with the winning run. Senior Ace Dietz earned the win by pitching a seven-inning complete game, allowing only one run on four hits with five
strikeouts and a walk. Photo by Grace Nugent.
CERTIFICATES OF MERIT
News writing (Planned News)
Jazzabelle Davishines, “Church holds services in the PAC“
Personality Profile
Bella Russo, “The adventures continue for Zulmy Galindo“
Photography Portfolio of work
Bella Russo
WARMING UP THE FLOOR: Sophomores Olivia Capochiano and Nadine Del Gallo were the first to hit the dance floor to the mariachi music of Mac alum Juan Diaz. “I think most people were too shy [to dance first],” Capochiano said. “I wanted to break the tension.” Photo by Bella Russo.
Photo Slideshow
Samantha Powers, Stella Shenkman, Alysa Spiro, Risa Darlington-Horta, and Elisha Scott, “Calling out for change“
Podcast
Stella Shenkman and Julia Kay Smith, “For Mac’s New Principal, Campus Leadership Starts and Ends with Building Relationships”
YEARBOOK WINNERS
FIRST PLACE
Sports Feature Photo
Caleb Melville, “Making It Reign”
SECOND PLACE
End Sheets
Index
Rylie Jones and Ella Jane Larrimer
CERTIFICATES OF MERIT
Feature Photo
JUNIORS JOUST THE COMPETITION: Junior Bryn Lewis cheers with the spirit stick at the annual LBJ pep rally before the game between LBJ and McCallum, the juniors won the spirit stick in a pep rally full of dancing by the cheerleaders and Blue Brigade, by the football players (Bop It challenge), and introductions of the cross country teams. “I just wanted to convey that I truly believe that our Class of 2020 is the best, I just really believe that and I just wanted to show people that with our spirit stick. That’s our opportunity to show people that,” Lewis said. Photo by Gabby Sherwood.
Gabby Sherwood, “Juniors Joust the Competition”
Organization or Greeks Spread: One Spread
Kien Johnson and Karel Tinkler, “Building of the Guard”
![With the AISD rank and GPA discrepancies, some students had significant changes to their stats. College and career counselor Camille Nix worked with students to appeal their college decisions if they got rejected from schools depending on their previous stats before getting updated. Students worked with Nix to update schools on their new stats in order to fully get their appropriate decisions. “Those who already were accepted [won’t be affected], but it could factor in if a student appeals their initial decision,” Principal Andy Baxa said.](https://macshieldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/53674616658_18d367e00f_o-600x338.jpg)
