News

MacJ leaves ILPC with Gold and Silver Stars in hand

Student journalists capture 103 5A individual awards, and nine of those also were named Tops in Texas

This image by Kennedy Weatherby earned first place in the feature photo category in ILPC competition against 5A schools. It also won Tops in Texas after being judged as superior to the first-place winners in the other UIL size categories. ABOUT THE PHOTO: Senior Michael Valentino participated in the LBJ Fire Academy’s live fire-skill day on Sept. 25. After a full year of learning about fires, extinguishers, equipment and how to use it, Valentino put out his first live fires. “I ended up doing the nozzle,” he said. “I was the first person in line, which was super cool.” Photo by Kennedy Weatherby.

MacJournalism news team
May 8, 2022

MacJournalism enjoyed what we believe is likely the best competitive result in school history at the 2022 edition of the Interscholastic League Press Conference convention held this weekend at the University of Texas at Austin. The annual meeting of student journalists throughout Texas includes a competition for staff and individual awards.

MacJ emerged from that competition with three Star Awards (two Gold and a Silver). In the individual entry competition, MacJ captured 103 individual awards, nine of which also won Tops in Texas for being the best in their category in the entire state.

McCallum’s newspaper, the Shield, earned two Gold Stars, one for its print newspaper and one for its online newspaper. The school yearbook, the Knight, earned a Silver Star, for its 2021 edition. We believe the Silver Star represents the best result the yearbook has ever earned in the Star Award competition.

The 103 individual entry awards covered five categories of the competition: broadcast, print newspaper, online newspaper, 2021 yearbook and current 2022 yearbook. McCallum competes at ILPC as a 5A school as it does in athletics and fine arts.

Of those 103 5A winners, 28 won first place in print newspaper, online newspaper or 2021 yearbook. In those three platforms, ILPC awards a best overall award in each category, known as Tops in Texas.

Nine of McCallum’s entries (six print newspaper, two online newspaper and one yearbook) were named as Tops in Texas winners.

The complete list of winners is below.

2022 ILPC Star Awards

Online Newspaper

GOLD — The Shield Online

Print Newspaper

GOLD — The Shield

Yearbook

SILVER — The Knight

2022 ILPC Individual Awards

Tops in Texas

Tops in Texas awards recognized the best individual entry in the category across all the UIL size classifications. To be eligible for Top Texas, you have to first win first place in your UIL classification (in our case 5A) and then be judged best against the first place winner from the other size categories.

Print Newspaper

Sophie Kessler, entertainment photo

Madelynn Niles, entertainment review

Grace Nugent, sports feature

Samantha Powers, news feature

Kennedy Weatherby, feature photo

Kennedy Weatherby, photo portfolio

Online Newspaper

Eliza Jensen, Lucy Marco, Thomas Melina Raab, Grace Nugent, Caroline Owen, Alice Scott, Ingrid Smith and Francie Wilhelm, in-depth news/feature package

Ingrid Smith, infographic sidebar

Yearbook

Bella Russo, academic photo

5A Individual Achievement Awards

2021-2022 Broadcast

First place

Alice Scott, Kate Boyle, Anna McClellan and Grace Nugent, documentary

Morgan Eye, special coverage

Kennedy Weatherby, special coverage

Second place

Alice Scott, feature story

2021-2022 Print Newspaper

First place

Alysa Bijl-Spiro, headlines

Ellen Fox, sports feature photo

Sophie Kessler, entertainment photo

Kai Kirkham Macias, cartoon

Madelynn Niles, entertainment review

Grace Nugent, infographic sidebar

Grace Nugent, sports feature story

Caroline Owen, entertainment feature

Samantha Powers, news feature

Lanie Sepehri, editorial page design

Lanie Sepehri, personal opinion column

Kennedy Weatherby, feature photo

Kennedy Weatherby, photo portfolio

Second place

Alysa Bijl-Spiro, Amaya Collier, Cassidy Levin, Kaela Martin, Grace Nugent, Lanie Sepehri, Elisha Scott, Francie Wilhelm, Nate Williams, photo story

Alysa Bijl-Spiro, Ellen Fox, Evelyn Griffin, Anna McClellan, Esme Moreno, Madelynn Niles, Abby Robison, Theo Roe, Bella Russo, Kennedy Weatherby, in-depth news/feature package

Sophie Kessler, entertainment photo

Sophie Leung-Lieu, headlines

Madelynn Niles and Grace Nugent, feature page design

Madelynn Niles and Grace Nugent, news page design

Alysa Bijl-Spiro and Lucy Marco, sports feature story

Caroline Owen, entertainment page design

Grace Vitale, entertainment review

Kennedy Weatherby, sports action photo

Third place

Evie Barnard, sports feature photo

Alysa Bijl-Spiro, personal column

Anna McClellan, photo portfolio

Anna McClellan, portrait

Grace Nugent, sports page design

Samantha Power and Tobin Wine, editorial writing

Ingrid Smith, news feature

Kennedy Weatherby, feature photo

Honorable mention

Alysa Bijl-Spiro and Lucy Marco, feature page design

Amaya Collier, student art

Amaya Collier and Grace Nugent, page one news magazine design

Ellen Fox, infographic sidebar

Evelyn Griffin and Grace Nugent, editorial page design

Sophie Leung-Lieu, news page design

Lucy Marco, personal column

Anna McClellan, cartoon

Grace Nugent, page one news magazine design

Grace Nugent, sports page design

Sofia Ramon and Lanie Sepehri, sports news story

Alysa Spiro and Amaya Collier, news writing

Kennedy Weatherby, feature writing

Kennedy Weatherby and Grace Nugent, photo story

Kennedy Smith, Ingrid Smith and Eliza Jenson, entertainment page design

2021-2022 Online Newspaper

First place

Evie Barnard, Alysa Bijl-Spiro, Amaya Collier, Carter Eason, Evelyn Griff in, Cassidy Levin, Madelynn Niles, Caroline Owen, Samantha Powers, Sofia Ramon, Alice Scott, Grace Vitale, multimedia package

Evie Barnard, Amaya Collier, Naomi Di-Capua, Emma Hagood, Julia Husted, Eliza Jensen, Cassidy Levin, Lucy Marco, Helen Martin, Kaela Martin, Lexi Ramos, Elisha Scott, Lanie Sepehri, Alysa Spiro, Francie Wilhelm, Nate Williams, Bo Witzel, photo slide show

Alysa Bijl-Spiro, editorial writing

Francesca Dietz, portrait

Eliza Jensen, Lucy Marco, Thomas Melina Raab, Grace Nugent, Caroline Owen, Alice Scott, Ingrid Smith, Francie Wilhelm, in-depth news/feature package

Kai Kirkham Macias and Sophie Kessler, student artwork/cartoon

Lucy Marco and Grace Nugent, sports news story

Lucy Marco and Alice Scott, video story

Thomas Melina Raab, sports column

Alice Scott, headlines

Ingrid Smith, infographic/sidebar

Second place

Katherine Boyle, Amaya Collier, Meredith Grotevant, Bo Witzel, Josie Bradsby, photo slide show

Amaya Collier, computer art

Morgan Eye, video story

Lucy Marco, personal opinion column

Samantha Powers, headlines

Samantha Powers, Grace Nugent and Logan Davis, editorial writing

Alice Scott, personal column

Lanie Sepehri, entertainment feature

Ingrid Smith, sports news story

Third place

Evie Barnard, Anna Bausman, Sophi Beardslee, Lukas Bednar, Smith Bohls, Naomi Di-Capua, Cassidy Levin, Chloe Lewcock, Lucy Marco, Helen Martin, Kaela Martin, Gaby Maydozian, Madelynn Niles, Grace Nugent, Charlie Partheymuller, Samantha Powers, Sofia Ramon, Elly Schottman, Alice Scott, Lanie Sepehri, Alysa Spiro, Francie Wilhelm, Nate Williams, multimedia package

Alysa Bijl-Spiro, Kate Boyle, Lucy Marco, Sophie LeungLieu, Anna McClellan, Madelynn Niles, Grace Nugent, Samantha Powers, Alice Scott, Francie Wilhelm, in-depth news/feature package

Meredith Grotevant, entertainment photo

Sophie Leung-Lieu, student artwork/cartoon

Gaby Maydozian, feature photo

Honorable mention

Alysa Bijl-Spiro, news writing

Logan Davis, personal opinion column

Mia Gomez, sports feature photo

Meredith Grotevant, entertainment feature

Sophie Kessler, entertainment photo

Francie Wilhelm, sports feature story