Ten schools wins Gallup Awards
18 others honored with International First Place in annual critique service
By Sylvia Clubb
Ten school publications have been named by judges as George H. Gallup recipients in the 2020 Quill and Scroll News Media Evaluation service as of Sept. 14, 2020. One publication has yet to be judged.
Named for the founder of Quill and Scroll and the Gallup Poll, the award is given only to those publications that achieved and sustained excellence during the 2019-2020 academic year.
Gallup Award recognition is based on extraordinary improvement, exceptional service to the school and community, editorial campaigns, and in-depth reporting on special issues.
International First Place Award recognition went to 18 schools. The International Second Place Award was awarded to nine schools.
Gallup Award
Florida
Miami — Felix Varela Sr. High School, “The Viper Vibe”
“The staff and adviser are to be commended for all the hard work that was put into the publications. Continue to try to add to the opinions and sports sections. Continue to find ways to represent the school and community with coverage of various topics. This was a difficult year for the staff, but the quality of the news magazine stayed strong. Congratulations! You rank among the world’s best student journalists!”
Georgia
Athens — Clarke Central High School, “Odyssey News Magazine”
“Despite any setbacks you may have had, you’ve done well to master digital media. What’s most important is your mastery of the mindset needed to tell stories well through multiple platforms and channels. You understand the importance of playing to the strengths of each platform to provide certain kinds of information, while understanding the role of digital tools that can enhance the presentation and delivery of material online.”
Kansas
Shawnee — Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, “The NW Passage”
“The Northwest Passage is a compelling, irresistible, gregarious powerhouse of a news magazine. You are doing all the right things and doing them fabulously. You demonstrate great courage in looking at tough issues. You serve up astounding graphics that never detract from a story. All the details are executed with professionalism. It results in a great representation of the students at your school. It’s something they can use in real time to help them navigate high school, and it’s something worth keeping and looking back on down the road.”
Missouri
St. Charles — Francis Howell North High School, “North Star”
“Covid-19 has not slowed down this staff. Even as I judge this publication (near the end of the summer) news is being published online. As the new school year begins (with Covid-19 still impacting all of our lives), I’m confident staffers will continue to keep their peers and community informed on the latest developments of returning to school as well as holding their administration accountable.”
Nixa — Nixa High School, “Wingspan”
“The staff and adviser are to be commended for all the hard work that was put into the publications. Continue to try to add to the opinions and sports sections. Continue to find ways to represent the school and community with coverage of various topics. Make strong efforts to recruit staff. This was a difficult year for the staff, but the quality of the news magazine and media site stayed strong.”
Nevada
Henderson — Green Valley High School, “The InvestiGator”
“There were dramatic photos on the front pages and in other places in the publication. There was a good use of designs, infographics and consistent layout so the reader knew what was in the publication.”
Las Vegas — Southwest CTA, “Southwest Shadow”
“You really go out of your way to find the best sources and explain things clearly and concisely in your stories. I can tell you go heavy on the editing because typos or errors were hard to come by. Excellent work.”
Ohio
Liberty Township — Lakota East High School, “Spark”
Virginia
Harrisonburg — Harrisonburg High School, “Newstreak”
McLean — McLean High School, “The Highlander News”
“Our hope should be that 2021 will start to return us all to normal, or some recognizable version of normal. But The Highlander, I’m certain, will find a way or find NEW ways, to cover a great school in a great community, with incredible talent and diversity and high expectations. Last year was a good one for you, despite all the chaos.”
International First Place
California
Granite Bay — Granite Bay High School
Georgia
Atlanta — Henry Grady High School
Florida
Parkland – Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
Plantation – American Heritage High School
Illinois
Lake Zurich – Lake Zurich High School
Lincolnshire – Adlai Stevenson High School
Mundelein – Mundelein High School
Indiana
Munster – Munster High School
Missouri
Chesterfield – Marquette High School
Fenton – Rockwood Summit High School
Kirkwood – Kirkwood High School
St. Louis – Ritenour High School
Webster Groves – Webster Groves High School
New Jersey
Hillsdale — Pascack Valley High School
Oregon
Tualatin — Tualatin High School
Pennsylvania
Haverford — The Haverford School
Texas
Austin — McCallum High School
Prosper — Prosper High School
International Second Place
Florida
Tallahassee — Florida State University Schools
Indiana
Fishers — Fishers High School
Iowa
Johnston — Johnston High School
Minnesota
New Hope — Cooper High School
Ohio
Dublin – Dublin Coffman High School
Tigard — Tigard High School
Virginia
Dominion — Dominion High School
Leesburg — Loudon County High School
Wisconsin
Stoughton — Stoughton High School
