by Ashton Duncan
The West Side Story garnered two sweepstakes awards from the Iowa High School Press Association on Oct. 17, first place Writing (Class B) and second place Graphics (Class B) for ’11-’12 school year issues.
WSS staffers also landed awards in IHSPA On-the-Spot contests. Pombie Silverman ’13 tied for first in the copy-editing category, Olive Carollhach ’13 and Leela Sathyaputri ’14 placed first and second respectively in editorial cartooning and Erin Weathers ’13 grabbed an honorable mention for photography.
“The WSS staffers never fail to impress me with their enthusiasm for and dedication to everything journalism. These awards are a great testament to their drive and inventiveness,” said Sara Whittaker, adviser of the WSS.
The annual IHSPA conference drew Iowa journalism students, advisers and experts to the Iowa Memorial Union downtown. Students participated in sessions dedicated to anything from writing about video games to transitioning to college journalism.
The WSS is also a national Pacemaker finalist for newsmagazines, of which winners will be announced at the National Scholastic Press Association conference on Nov. 18.
