This is literally a SUPERIOR photo and art gallery

We are pleased to present a Tuesday Top 10 that features our top winners from the Texas Association of Journalism Educators Best in Texas newspaper contest

Evie Barnard, Amaya Collier, Meredith Grotevant, Sophie Kessler, Kai Kirkham Macias, Anna McClellan, Madelynn Niles, Grace Nugent, Lexi Ramos, Kennedy Weatherby, and Nate Williams
April 12, 2022

In the statewide Texas Association of Journalism Educators Best in Texas print newspaper, online newspaper and broadcast competition, McCallum journalists took home more than 200 awards. 

We are working on putting together a complete list of all the superior, excellent and honorable mention winners, but until then we wanted to showcase the photo and art entries that earned SUPERIOR (the highest) ratings in the contest.

We present them here as this week’s Tuesday Top 10 photo essay. We hope you enjoy the gallery.

PRINT NEWSPAPER FEATURE PHOTO: Senior Michael Valentino participated in the LBJ Fire Academy’s live fire skill day that was held on Sep. 25. After a full year of learning about fires, extinguishers, equipment and how to use it, Valentino and the three other seniors a part of the academy put out their first live fires. “It was so cool,” Valentino said. “I ended up doing the nozzle, which is the first person in line, which was super cool, I really wanted to do that.” Caption and photo by Kennedy Weatherby.

PRINT NEWSPAPER FEATURE PHOTO: Seniors Natalie Nagy, John Hamlet, Scarlet Frese, sophomore Stella Hufford, junior Stephanie Gallegos, freshman Sadie Swinney and junior Claire De Silva-Yost smile post-show for a group photo at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Photo by Sophie Kessler. (Sophie Kessler)

PRINT NEWSPAPER SPORTS ACTION PHOTO: Senior wide receiver Nate Davidson bobbles the ball during the Knights’ 38-24 loss to the Lehman Lobos on Sept. 3 at Shelton Stadium. Photo by Evie Barnard.

PRINT NEWSPAPER SPORTS ACTION PHOTO: Senior Grace Werkenthin spikes the ball in the Knights’ 3-1 loss to the Anderson Trojans at Don Caldwell Gymnasium. The loss was Mac’s first district setback. The Knights are now in third just behind Anderson and Ann Richards and will face the Trojans again on Oct. 8 at Anderson High School. (Kennedy Weatherby)

PRINT NEWSPAPER EDITORIAL CARTOON: Every time a student logs into a district-issued device, they surrender their privacy to the administration. Per district policy, every paper they write and every email they send gets combed through for a certain list of words. The list includes words related to violence, drug use and other sensitive topics. Content on students’ phones can also be flagged if they plug their phone into their Chromebook. This extends AISD’s reach beyond their own devices, and into students’ personal property. “ Gaggle will be a more effective tool if students feel that they can share their stories without being punished. ” While the intentions behind this preventative measure are admirable when it comes to students’ mental health and campus safety, it’s not being applied fairly. (Anna McClellan)
PRINT NEWSPAPER ORIGINAL ARTWORK: Grace Nugent.
PRINT NEWSPAPER ORIGINAL ARTWORK: Kai Kirkham Macias
PRINT NEWSPAPER ORIGINAL ARTWORK: Kai Kirkham Macias
PRINT NEWSPAPER ORIGINAL ARTWORK: Kai Kirkham Macias
PRINT NEWSPAPER ORIGINAL ARTWORK: Madelynn Niles
PRINT NEWS MAGAZINE COVER DESIGN: Grace Nugent

ONLINE NEWS PHOTO: Junior Georgia Zaninovich was one of the organizers of the Nov. 15 walkout. “This year, a lot of students have been open online about their experiences with sexual assault,” Zaninovich said. She and other organizers disagree with the administration’s handling of previous sexual-assault allegations. “We deserve to be listened to,” she said. Caption by Cassidy Levin. (Nate Williams)

ONLINE FEATURE PHOTO: Drummer King Perez-Cude of the band Red River Trucking Company performs at the 2021 edition of Battle of the Bands on Nov. 16 in the Fine Arts Building Theatre. Six bands competed for two performance slots at the local, live music venue Hole in the Wall. The event has typically been larger, but as guitar teacher Andrew Clark described, “We had two bands drop out, which is kind of funny. We’ve never had bands drop out before at the last minute.” The bands that did perform boasted diverse set lists ranging from originals to covers. “I liked our punk song ‘Save you’ by the Riverboat Gamblers,” recalled junior Nathan Dart, a member of Sweet Encounters. “It just has a good energy to it. It’s very upbeat—or not upbeat—but it’s fun and loud.” Sweet Encounters was one of the winning bands, alongside Daydreamer. These winners were decided by an audience vote. “I was really happy,” said Charlie McBride, Daydreamer’s guitarist. “This was probably the biggest thing we have done as a band so far. There were some complications, but we got it worked out in our first big performance.” You can see the winning bands perform at Hole in the Wall in the spring alongside the McCallum guitar ensemble. Photo by Meredith Grotevant.
ONLINE SPORTS ACTION PHOTO: The varsity girls basketball team went on the road on Tuesday to play its second game against the LASA Raptors. The Knights were on top of their game, securing a season sweep against the Raptors with a 51-32 victory. Playing before only a few spectators on an unfamiliar court, the team played stifling defense, preventing the Raptors from getting into their offensive rhythm. Several JV players moved up to bolster the varsity bench that has been decimated by injuries and illness. According to sophomore guard Esme Barraz who returned to the lineup herself on Tuesday, having more roster depth made a big difference after Friday’s tough home loss to Crockett, which left the Knights with three eligible players at game’s end. “I think our intensity needs to go up for the rest of the games and playoffs,” Barraz said. “We need to learn to play without some of our key players.” The varsity and the JV-A teams play against Anderson Friday at home. The JV game tips off at 6 p.m., followed by the varsity at 7:30. Caption by Francie Wilhelm. Reporting by Grace Nugent. Photo by Lexi Ramos.

ONLINE EDITORIAL CARTOON: Homework keeps teens up late at night, preventing them from getting enough rest, which leaves students exhausted and susceptible to depression and a defeatist attitude. (Amaya Collier)

ONLINE ORIGINAL ARTWORK: The text in this illustration are snippets from calls made by victims and first responders on Sept. 11, 2001. The number 2,996 represents the total number of fatalities caused by the attacks. (Anna McClellan)