Local students earn state journalism honors
Published 12:37 pm Wednesday, March 1, 2017
- Several area students, including several from Thompson High School, pictured, earned awards during the Alabama Scholastic Press Association’s awards convention on Feb. 17. (Contributed)
By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor
TUSCALOOSA – Several schools in Shelby County earned high honors at the recent Alabama Scholastic Press Association’s awards convention, and one Thompson High School student made history by sweeping all three individual senior journalist awards.
THS, Oak Mountain Middle School, Briarwood Christian School, Pelham High School and Spain Park High School earned awards during the ASPA convention, which was held on Feb. 17 at The University of Alabama.
THS TV student Brady Talbert earned 12 awards at the convention, including all three senior awards: Alabama Broadcasters Association’s Broadcast Journalist of the Year, ASPA’s Journalist of the Year and the J.B. Stevenson Scholarship. Talbert is the first student in the state to earn all three senior awards, and will now move on to represent Alabama at the National Scholastic Press Association Convention, where he will be up for the honor of National Journalist of the Year.
The following schools and individuals also won awards at the convention:
Broadcast overall
All-Alabama: Thompson High School
Superior: Oak Mountain Middle School
Honor: Oak Mountain High School
Literary magazine overall
All-Alabama: Briarwood Christian School
Superior: Pelham High School
Literary magazine
Landscape photo: Third place, Peyton Strickland, Pelham High School
Portrait photo: First place, Mia Mauberret, Briarwood Christian School
Photography portfolio: Second place, Aaron Squires, Pelham High School
Student art: Third place, Savannah Mercer, Pelham High School
Poetry: Second place, Natalie Lett, Briarwood Christian School. Third place, Destiny Reid, Pelham High School
Fiction, long: First place, Robin Reese, Briarwood Christian School
Fiction, short: Second place, Natalie Lett, Briarwood Christian School
Essay: Third place, Kyra Harris, Pelham High School
Humor: First place, George Moore, Briarwood Christian School. Second place, Anna Smith, Pelham High School. Third place, Will Baumbach, Briarwood Christian School.
Creative nonfiction: First place, Ceec Messerschmidt, Pelham High School
Poetry spread: First place Jude Agan, Pelham High School. Second place, Casey Brooks, Pelham High School. Honorable mention, Camdyn Gilbert, Briarwood Christian School.
Nonfiction spread: First place, Connor Pelham, Briarwood Christian School. Second place, Ross Godbehere, Briarwood Christian School.
Theme development: First place, Briarwood Christian School
Broadcast
News anchor: First place, Brady Talbert, Thompson High School. Second place, Constance McKnight, Thompson High School.
Sports anchor: First place, Matthew Killingsworth, Thompson High School. Second place, Constance McKnight, Thompson High School.
Videography: First place, Brady Talbert, Thompson High School
Sports story/reporting: First place, Sammy Chatham, Thompson High School. Second place, Nick Adams, Thompson High School. Third place, Ashley Ryan, Thompson High School.
Feature story/reporting: Third place, Sammy Chatham, Thompson High school.
News story/reporting: First place, Brady Talbert, Thompson High School. Second place, Ashley Ryan, Thompson High School. Third place, Will Vickers, Thompson High School.
Directing: First place, Noah Pevey, Thompson High School. Third place, Brady Talbert, Thompson High School.
Creative video: First place, Brady Talbert and Gracie Blaising, Thompson High School
Carry-in awards
Broadcast feature: First place, Brady Talbert, Thompson High School
Broadcast sports: First place, Noah Pevey, Thompson High School
Broadcast news: Second place, Brady Talbert, Thompson High School
Broadcast editing: Second place, Brady Talbert, Thompson High School
On-site awards
Sports writing: Second place, Lexi Witherspoon, Spain Park High School
News writing: Third place, Reece Eberhardt, Spain Park High School
Newscast anchor: First place, Noah Pevey, Thompson High School. Third place, Ashley Ryan, Thompson High School.
Sportscast anchor: First place, Madison Rayam, Thompson High School. Second place, Matthew Killingsworth, Thompson High School. Third place, Constance McKnight, Thompson High School.
Yearbook design: Honorable mention, Lauren Choi, Spain Park High School
Newspaper design: Honorable mention, Woody Shin, Spain Park High School
Yearbook copy/caption writing: Second place, Claire Taggart, Spain Park High School.
Broadcast standup: First place, Brady Talbert and Joseph Cooper, Thompson High School