Iowa High School Press Association

The future of journalism belongs to high school journalist. Long time IHSPA board member, Lyle Muller, shines a light on the inaugural All-State team and the promising voices shaping what's next. You can read Lyle's story here: https://www.ihspa.org/10319/showcase/hope-for-the-future-comes-from-iowas-high-school-journalists/

Iowa City West claims both Photo and Story of the Month for May!

Lydia Cruce takes complex information about cancer rates, radon and pesticides and makes their connection understandable. She does that be using wording that does not sound like a research paper. She gets an assist from Jack Sun who breaks down a few important stats in infograhics. Most importantly, she tells the stories of a student and a teacher who had cancer. Details like how people didn't invite the student to some events thinking she would be unable to participate instead of asking her make the story. This story is as well-written as some of the professional media's stories about the topic.

Sonya Zhu also of West shows that choir photos can be interesting! Look at the emotion, the lighting and the depth of field used for photo 7 in the gallery. Along with captions that pinpoint what song was sung and other details, her photo techniques work well to share the story.

Check out their submissions on our website!

The creators of all three April Stories of the Month chose excellent formats in which to share stories. Caleb Klassen of Adel HS is an Eagle Scout so who better to talk about the current Pete Hegseth's criticism of the Boy Scouts. Klassen knows the topic so with the choice of the opinion format he can share his experiences. He also shares the experiences of another Eagle that support his opinion.

In a story about choreography, seeing the choreography makes sense. Wise choice to use video by Waterloo West's Brooklyn Berumez, Syndy Morin and Mackenzie Johnson.

The team of Loren Barjis, Kaleshna Udas, Anna You, and Sonya Zhu from Iowa City West wrote a story chock full of good quotes and then they highlighted them by using pull quotes. They also used sidebars like a calendar of upcoming events instead of trying to list them all in the story. Great use of the sidebar format.

The format used to share a story can enhance readers' understanding.

And our last batch of our wonderful 2026 Scholars! Congratulations to you all for your hard work!🎉

Students:
Paige Lambi, Liberty
Tobias Landmesser, Ankeny
Madison Hardwood, Indianola
Minna Abdalla, Iowa City West
River Phillips, Ankeny
Ryen Bo**er, Indianola
Sarah Wigton, Waukee Northwest
Shanza Sami, Iowa City West
Ella Auber, Pleasant Valley

Here's to our next batch of 2026 Scholars! You should all be proud of your accomplishments! 🎉

Students:
Hadley Anderson, Liberty
Lucas Ressler, Waukee Northwest
Ishika Desai, Pleasant Valley
Jacyn Gomez, Waterloo West
Julieta Ortiz, Clear Creek Amana
Leah Butcher, Iowa City West
Leighana Rose, Liberty
Lili Nandell, Clear Creek Amana
Lydia Gerety, Ankeny
Madelyn Cook, Liberty

Last but very much not least, our first batch of 2026 Scholars! Scholars is an academic honor for the state's top journalism students and rewards them with a certificate and pin to wear to graduation. Congratulations! 🎉

Students:
Chloe Kramer, Pleasant Valley
Anna Boens, Pleasant Valley
Brooklynn Berumez, Waterloo West
Ella Stineman, Clear Creek Amana
Alexis Enriques, Waukee Northwest
Gabriella Lopez, Des Moines East
Brynn Davis, Liberty
Delanie Williams, Indianola
Evelyn Kraber, Iowa City West

Meet our 2026 Emerging Journalists! 🎉 these students receive a $100 scholarship that can be applied to OR ! Check the link in our bio to see their work ✍🏼

Let's hear it for our 2026 Emerging Journalist! Check our there work here: https://www.ihspa.org/10264/showcase/2026-emerging-journalist/

Lastly, meet our 2026 Designer of the Year: Taelim Yoon! Taelim is a senior at Iowa City West High School and serves as the Co-Editor-in-Chief and Co-Design Editor for Trojan Epic Yearbook. Congratulations Taelim! 🎉

You can check out Taelim's portfolio work here: https://taelimyoonportolio.my.canva.site/designer-of-the-year

Meet our 2026 Opinion Writer of the Year: Maulid Sanchez Carmona! Maulid is a senior at Pleasant Valley High School where he serves as the Opinion Editor for the Spartan Shield. Congratulations Maulid! 🥳

Check out Maulid's portfolio here: https://sanchezcarmonamaulid.weebly.com/