Shawnee Mission School District journalism students proved, once again, that they are one of the best programs in the nation with dozens of top five finishes and two Pacemaker Awards.
The 2023 National Scholastic Press Association Fall conference brought together nearly 5,000 journalism students from across the country to recognize the best of the best.
This year, individuals from all five SMSD high schools finished in the top five across the dozens of individual awards categories including an impressive seven first-place winners.
Shawnee Mission East’s newspaper “The Harbinger” and Shawnee Mission Northwest’s newsmagazine “The Northwest Passage” were recognized with the prestigious Pacemaker award- the NSPA’s preeminent award honoring the “best of the best” in Newspaper or Newsmagazine.
Here is a complete list of SMSD award winners with links to the work.
Pioneer Award: Becky Tate; Shawnee Mission North; Recognized for her devotion to student journalism.
Pacemaker-
The Harbinger; Shawnee Mission East
Northwest Passage Shawnee Mission Northwest
Story of the year- Feature
First- Grace Logan; No Excuses; Northwest Passage; Shawnee Mission Northwest
Fifth- Katie Murphy; American Dreaming; The Harbinger; Shawnee Mission East
Honorable Mention- Lily Coash-Johnson; One in six; The Epic; Shawnee Mission West
Story of the Year- Editorial
Fourth- Katie Murphy; Teachers With Tacticals?; The Harbinger; Shawnee Mission East
Story of the Year-Opinion
First- Larkin Brundige; Beyond Pink; The Harbinger; Shawnee Mission East
Second- Katie Murphy; Typical Asian; The Harbinger; Shawnee Mission East
Fourth- Sofia Ball; No Matter What; The Northwest Passage; Shawnee Mission Northwest
Fifth- Gage Chapman; Running With It; The Mission; Shawnee Mission North
Diversity, Equity and Inclustion Reporting
Fifth Place- Alex Young; Dear Little Me; Lair; Shawnee Mission Northwest
Honorable Mention- Greyson Imm; Discipline or Disrespect?; The Harbinger; Shawnee Mission East
Design- Newspaper front page
Fifth Place- Peyton Moore ;The Heroes Among Us; The Harbinger; Shawnee Mission East
Design-Newspaper spread
Second Place- Francesca Stamati; What’s At Stake?; The Harbinger; Shawnee Mission East
Design-News magazine spread
Third Place- Maya Copaken, Noel Mohamed; Washed Out; The Patriot; Shawnee Mission South
Honorable Mention- Ren Park; The Calorie Conundrum; The Patriot; Shawnee Mission South
Design-Yearbook spread
Third Place- Francie Garrison, Ella Yun; After the Disco; The Hauberk; Shawnee Mission East
Honorable Mention- Payton Cook, Laurel Hansen; Meet Your Pep Exec; Brickhouse, Shawnee Mission North
Design-Yearbook Theme
First Place- Marissa Buffon, Katie Burke, Brody Carlson, Danie Eaves, Sydney Jackson; Sounds Like Us; Lair; Shawnee Mission Northwest
Honorable Mention- Laurel Hansen, Rylie Peterson; Understood; Brickhouse, Shawnee Mission North
Design-Info Graphic
Honorable Mention- Laurel Hansen; Bringing it Mahomes; Brickhouse, Shawnee Mission North
Cartoon
Fifth Place- Caroline Daniels; Hazards of Tanning; The Harbinger; Shawnee Mission East
Digital- Multimedia-News Story
First Place- Katie Murphy; A New Extreme; The Harbinger; Shawnee Mission East
Digital-Interactive Graphic
First Place- Aanya Bansal, Maggie Kissick; Colorful Futures; The Harbinger; Shawnee Mission East
Photo-News Photo
Second Place- Maggie Wells; If Not Now When; Hauberk; Shawnee Mission East
Photo- Feature Photo
Third Place- Kylie Chaplin; Touch Ups; Hauberk; Shawnee Mission East
Photo- Sports Feature
First Place- Macy Crosser; Loud From the Lane Lines; The Harbinger; Shawnee Mission East
Second Place- Eva Berkley; Unfair; Hauberk; Shawnee Mission East
Fourth Place- Maggie Wells; Having Fun; Hauberk; Shawnee Mission East
Honorable Mention- Teryn DeBey; Caught Baseball; Brickhouse, Shawnee Mission North
Portfolio- Photojournalist
Fourth Place- Macy Crosser; The Harbinger; Shawnee Mission East
Portfolio- writer
First Place- Katie Murphy; The Harbinger; Shawnee Mission East
Social media reporting
Honorable Mention- Mia Vogel, Paige Zadoo; The Harbinger; Shawnee Mission East
Social media promotion
Fifth Place- Mia Vogel, Paige Zadoo; The Harbinger; Shawnee Mission East