Journalism program among the best in the country

On April 17th the Shawnee Mission East journalism department ranked amongst the best in the country roping in a slew of awards for its three publications: The Harbinger, the highly esteemed newspaper, The Harbinger Online, the publication’s website, and The Hauberk, the yearbook. For the first time ever the Online staff got a taste of victory, earning their first ever Pacemaker award.

Runner Up High School Journalist of the Year: Tim Shedor

Online Pacemaker Finalist: The Harbinger Online

Online Pacemaker Winner: The Harbinger Online

Best of Show for Website, 2nd Place: The Harbinger Online

Best of Show 4th place, Special Edition: The Harbinger

NSPA Best of show for 17+ pages: The Harbinger

NSPA Yearbook Pacemaker Finalist: The Haurberk

On top of the previous list of accomplishments, East exceeded even their own expectations this year by being the only school in the country to place in the finalist category in each of its publication.

“It was a huge honor,” Co-Editor Tim Shedor said. “The biggest ego-stroke at the convention was grabbing the Online Pacemaker. We went from not even placing in Best of Show in November to winning the most acclaimed high school journalism award and placing second above publications that had won half a dozen Pacemakers.”

The Harbinger Online’s complete transformation is directly credited to the handiwork of juniors Logan Heley and Patrick McGannon along with seniors Tim Shedor and Michael Stolle. All of whom worked overtime adding new content and keeping the website’s design top knotch.

As East brought home numerous awards for the staff as a whole, several individuals also excelled in their contest submissions at the NSPA event. Senior Whitaker Sherk, junior Alysabeth Albano and sophomore Alex Lamb won “Honorable Mentions” for their respective contest entries. Sherk won yearbook layout, Albano grabbed news writing and Lamb, review writing. Senior Tim Shedor, and sophomores Evan Nichols and Corbin Barnds all won “Excellents” for their work in Feature Writing, Info Graphics, and Sports Writing. Anna Petrow won a “Superior” for her work in Photography Portfolios. Petrow also received a “Superior,” the highest possible rating, in Photography Portfolio.

Lastly, the Haurberk continued its streak as one of the best yearbooks in the nation by winning second in the Best of Show category along with receiving a Pacemaker, an award that only 30 publications across the nation are honored with.