The Iowa High School Press Association awarded the West Side Story staff 43 awards in the annual spring journalism contest. IHSPA will announce 2017-2018 All-Iowa News Team finalists next week based on the schools with the largest number of awards from this contest. The 2016-2017 West Side Story staff was one of five News Teams of the Year in the state for 2017.

The West Side Story staff received first place in the state for the following:

1. In-Depth News: “Alone” by Anna Brown ‘19 and Anjali Huynh ‘19
2. News Story: “94” by Fatima Kammona ‘19
3. Editorial Cartoon/Comic Strip: “American irony” by Vivien Ho ‘21
4. Multimedia Feature Story: “An artist’s journey” by Samalya Thenuwara ‘18
5. Sports Story: “Concussed” by Ellie Gretter ‘18 and Deniz Ince ‘19
6. Multimedia News story: “First ever Girl Up fundraiser raises over $3,650” by Alyson Kuennen ‘18 and Samalya Thenuwara ‘18
7. Illustration or Art: “Missed connections” by Frances Dai ‘19
8. Multimedia Sports Story: “Road to state: a multimedia experience” by Grace Christopher ‘19, Ellie Gretter ‘18 and Kara Wagenknecht ‘19
9. Photo Story: “The Green Room opens its doors” by Alyson Kuennen ‘18
10. Podcasting: “The Kpop Corner” by Eman Elsheikh ‘18 and Hae-joo Yoon ‘18
11. Column: “The lost art” by Junhee Lee ‘18

The West Side Story staff received second place in the state for the following:

1. In-Depth News: “50 years at West” by Junhee Lee ‘18 and Jenna Wang ‘20
2. Personality Profile: “A brotherly bond” by Jessica Moonjely ‘20
3. Video Story: “A discussion: Gun ownership in Iowa” by Ethan Goers ‘18 and Nick Pryor ‘18
4. News Photo: “Diversity dinner” by Teya Kerns ‘20
5. Infographic: “Lunar New Year” by Lydia Guo ‘19
6. Feature Story: “On the line” by Prateek Raikwar ‘18 and Shawn Thacker ‘18
7. Newsmagazine Multiple Page Design: “The countdown begins” by Crystal Kim ‘19
8. Feature Photo: “Uprooted: Mercy and Linda” by Alyson Kuennen ‘18
9. Multimedia Sports Story: “West brings home the boot” by Eman Elsheikh ‘18, George Liu ‘19, Fenna Semken ‘18
10. Podcasting: “West Side Radio: Spilling the tea” by Jessica Doyle ‘19 and Natalie Dunlap ‘20
11. Social Media accounts: West Side Story staff
12. Photo Story: “Woody Harrelson presents groundbreaking film to Iowa City” by Alyson Kuennen ‘18
13. Web Design for wsspaper.com: West Side Story staff

The West Side Story staff received third place in the state for the following:

1. Multimedia News Story: “24 units to change 24 lives” by Natalie Dunlap ‘20 and Mary Vander Weg ‘19
2. Staff Editorial: “A tradition of silence” by Junhee Lee ‘18 and Wingel Xue ‘18
3. Sports Photo: “Boys swim team hosts state meet” by Kara Wagenknecht ‘19
4. Personality Profile: “Coming full circle” by Nina Elkadi ‘18
5. Feature Story: “Effectiveness of sexual assault prevention education questioned” by Fenna Semken ‘18
6. News Story: “Got goats?” by Natalie Katz ‘20
7. Feature Photo: “Vape nation” by Alyson Kuennen ‘18
8. Infographic: “One year later” by Thomas Duong ‘19
9. Multimedia Feature Story: “Prioritizing Your Passion” by Natalie Dunlap ‘20
10. Multimedia Sports Story: “Student groups highlight basketball halftime” by Ethan Goers ‘18 and Kara Wagenknecht ‘19
11. Video Story: “West High celebrates 50 years of excellence” by Samalya Thenuwara ‘18
12. Photo Story: “Women of Troy to face crosstown rivals in state championship” by Kara Wagenknecht

The West Side Story staff received honorable mention for the following:

1. Video Story: “An artist’s journey” by Samalya Thenuwara
2. Multimedia News Story: “Charged Women’s March rallies in downtown Iowa City” by Anjali Huynh ‘19
3. Multimedia Feature Story: “Test anxiety” by Jessica Doyle ‘19 and Sophie Stephens ‘19
4. Newsmagazine One Page Design: “The age of adderall cover” by Catherine Ju ‘18, Pareen Mhatre ‘18 and Angela Zirbes ‘18
5. In-Depth News: “The AP obstacle” by Emma Brustkern ‘18 and Lauren Katz ‘18
6. Multimedia Sports Story: “Trojans advance to the semi final round” by Grace Christopher ‘19, Ellie Gretter ‘18 and Kara Wagenknecht ‘19
7. Feature Story: “Uprooted” by Anjali Huynh ‘19, Jessica Moonjely ‘19, Prateek Raikwar ‘18 and Shawn Thacker ‘18