Mount Vernon student journalists were recently awarded by the Iowa High School Press Association awards for their journalism work this past school year.
Advisor JoAnn Gage said students are also eligible for the All-Iowa News Team of the Year award, which will be distributed in the fall. Mount Vernon last won that prize in 2020, but has been a finalist every year since.
“I’m thankful to IHSPA for recognizing student work,” Gage said. “I am continually in awe of the dedicated, talented students who post photos and stories to our website, www.themustangmoon.com. They are at almost every home event capturing and showcasing what their peers achieve on the field, court, stage, or classroom.”
Schools are designated for the All-Iowa News team based on the number of awards the school has in the spring contests.
Earning first places for the Mustang Moon were:
• Editorial cartoon/comic strip “Something Evil” by Jackson Thies, environmental portrait “Elsie’s Beautiful Beading” by Simon Gillespie, Multimedia story
• Sports “Eight Mustangs Advance to State” by Kael Riniker and Jayce Pendergrass
• Photo story “All or Nothing” by Lily Rechkemmer, social media reporting @themustangmoon by Lily Rechkemmer, Jayce Pendergrass
• Sports action photo “We’ll Be Back” by Renae Woods
• Sports feature photo “Jaspers Back Again” by Jayce Pendergrass
Earning second place were:
• The environmental portrait “Adventures in Antiquing” by Elsie Owen
• Feature photo “Pep Rally Games” by Kade Kaiser, multimedia story
• News “New Twist on Homecoming Dress Up” by Malena Koehn
• Sports action photo “Boys Basketball Wins Against West Delaware” by Renae Woods
• Sports feature photo “State Semifinal Pin Celebration” by Jayce Pendergrass
Earning third place were:
• Editorial Cartoon/comic strip “More Kids at Mount Vernon Should Play Lacrosse” by Audrey Tucker
• Photo story “The Mustangs Advance Past the Eagles Into Semifinal” by Jayce Pendergrass
• Sports action photo “In the Zone” by Lily Rechkemmer
• Sports feature photo “The Bench Is Hyped” by Jayce Pendergrass
• Video story “The Freshman Experience” by Elena Gehrke, Emily Giel, Mae Krapfl, Henry Rian, and Willa Turner.
Earning honorable mentions were:
• Editorial Cartoon/comic strip “We should have 4 days of school a week instead of 5” by Galice Portillo
• Editorial cartoon/comic strip “Fenced Fields, Open Vulnerabilities” by Leo Smejkal, environmental portrait “Hallelujah” by Kade Kaiser
• Feature photo “Ace of Bass” by Kade Kaiser, feature photo “Solo Mime” by Lily Rechkemmer
• Health/science “Gay Straight Alliance: A Social Club for Students” by Susanella Daugherty
• Illustration or art “Big City Traffic in a Small Town” by Landon Grosse
• News photo “Homecoming Halftime Is Grand on the New Field” by Lydia Marshall
• Personality profile “Thriving in the Winter Wonderland: Tait Rentschler’s Snowmobiling Journey” by Adam Zehm
• Photo story “Mustangs Prevail Victorious” by Jayce Pendergrass
• Podcasting “Thoughts about EBR” by Elena Gehrke, Emily Giel, Mae Krapfl, Henry Rian, and Willa Turner, sports action photo “Jaspers Back Again” by Jayce Pendergras
• Sports feature photo “The Mustangs Advance Past the Eagles Into Semifinal” by Jayce Pendergrass
• Sports feature photo “Chat with Coach” by Lily Rechkemmer.