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