Joliet West High School journalists brought home a 3^rd Place Team Award after competing February 19 and 20 in the 2021 SPC Journalism Championship.

During the virtual competition, West journalists placed in 12 of 16 categories, winning 14 awards with 11 Tigers placing. Tiger journalists also earned three 3^rd, 5^th, and 6^th place finishes and one 7th place finish. 

Senior Kailey Staniszewski, a mainstay for TNN, along with senior Trevor Gould, TNN Editor, placed first in Video News  “It was nice to finally compete after not having sectional or state competitions last year. As a senior I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy all the experiences this amazing program has offered, and I hope to win state again this year with my partner Trevor Gould in Video News. Competing virtually wasn’t as easy, but I’m happy that all the events are taking place,” commented Kailey. 

Senior Louie Mendoza earned top three finishes in three categories, including 1^st  place in Infographics, and 3^rd place in Yearbook Layout Double Spread and Yearbook Theme Development. Reflecting on his four years of competing at the SPC Journalism Competition, Louie said, “It felt like a full circle moment. As a freshman, I placed in one event; So, to have placed in three different categories was a special moment for me. It would have been nice to experience the moment in person, but I guess it’s just a sign of the times.”

Megan Krok, a junior writer for Tiger Tales, competed in two categories and placed 3^rd in Feature Writing. Megan spoke with an appreciation for being able to compete again and said, ”I felt like the content of this year’s competition didn’t differ much from last year’s. However, the major difference this year was writing my pieces completely remote. Surprisingly, I found that this made writing my article easier. Even though I had the pressure to get an article done in a short period of time, it was less stressful getting to work in my own environment and not in a tense classroom with my competitors where I would typically feel rushed.” 

Reflecting on the results from the competition, Galloy said, “I am always extremely proud of all students who compete for us, whether they placed or didn’t, it takes a lot to put yourself out there and I’m grateful to the students who do. It’s not just about winning, but getting the exposure to writing under time constraints, using the feedback to improve, and networking with your peers from other schools to ultimately help our own program continue to grow.”

Additional conference placers include juniors Haley Maser for 1^st in Headline Writing and 6^th in News Writing). In the Photo Storytelling category, sophomore Holley Law and senior Emily Vayda finished 6^th and 7^th respectively. Seniors Kiersten Jordan finished 5^th in Infographics and Editorial Cartooning, Madison Horvat received 5^th place in Advertising, Kelly Rappaport placed 1^st in Yearbook Copy, and Jordyn Bew placed 6^th for her entry in Editorial Writing. 

The Joliet West journalists continue to practice and fine tune their writing skills as they prepare for the Sectional Competition on April 10^th.  From there, the journalists hope to advance to state on April 24^th. Both competitions are held virtually but the team hopes to compete together at the school.