Newspaper earns top award; yearbook staff plans next book
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| Yearbook adviser Paul Cook and his staff search for template ideas for the 2009-2010 book Beyond the Blue. |
 The 2008-2009 staff of the Talon Times earned a top award from the Kettle Moraine Press Association, the highest honor the publication has ever achieved from the high school journalism organization.
Staff members learned about the award during the annual KEMPA fall conference at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater on Oct. 16. Yearbook students also attended the field trip and likely will hear the results of the critique for the 2008-2009 yearbook Life Through a Lens within the month.
Judges scored the Talon Times in several categories, including news, feature, sports, opinion, editing, and graphic design. The staff earned 1,009 out of 1,200 possible points, particularly excelling in the news content/coverage, feature, and editing areas. In past years, the publication has earned first place ratings.
"I hope to include all aspects of the community and student body, as well as show the creativity of our staff members by playing with layouts and designs in the newspaper," said senior Sarah Beckman, the 2009-2010 editor, of the current publication year.
"Although leading such a big staff this year invites new obstacles, I think this year's staff is the most willing group of kids and I am so excited to work with them."
The fall conference gives student journalists the opportunity to learn from professionals in the field on various topics, including design, photography, broadcast, and more. Publication staffs often return to the computer lab with many new ideas to improve the newspaper or yearbook. The Talon Times staff is traveling to Washington, D.C. in mid-November to attend a similar, but larger conference sponsored by the Journalism Education Association and the National Scholastic Press Association.
The yearbook staff, meanwhile, is busy planning for the 2009-2010 book entitled Beyond the Blue. |
