The Paw Print

By Alexa Gola, Associate News & Features Editor

Last Friday, members of The Paw Print Staff and Editorial Board took the CTA purple line up to Northwestern’s Evanston campus to attend the Scholastic Press Association of Chicago’s McCormick Foundation High School Media Competition awards ceremony. 

The event opened with a welcome from Medill Dean Charles Whitaker, an alumnus of Northwestern’s undergraduate and graduate journalism schools. He encouraged students to apply for the Medill Cherubs, a journalism summer program for rising high school seniors. 

Whitaker then introduced keynote speaker Natalie Moore, an award winning Chicago journalist who was interviewed by Cassie Nowik, Editor-in-Chief of William Howard Taft High School’s Taft Today. Moore emphasized the importance of taking time to build journalistic skills, as well as the value of enjoying the process throughout the path to a professional career in journalism.

Paw Print Editors Kieran Blake, Alexa Gola, Steven Jiang and Maddie Spanbauer then participated in the sports, features, editorial and news write-offs (respectively), where they were given 50 minutes to write a quick article from their given category prompt. 

Members of The Paw Print staff also had the opportunity to hear from Ellen Austin, an educator widely recognized for her work with student journalism. Austin urged students to report on community stories in order to help fill the gap left by shuttered neighborhood newsrooms. 

Overall, The Paw Print was recognized for excellence across a range of categories, receiving 16 awards. Articles written by Associate News and Features Editor Alexa Gola received four awards, while articles written by Sports Editor Kieran Blake and photos taken by Photo Editor Leah Galibois received three awards each. 

Additionally, Blake received the SPAC student fellowship, which includes a grant to be used towards attending a journalism workshop of his choice. Paw Print Advisor Ms. Vargas received the SPAC teacher fellowship, and Dr. Shabazz received the Principal of the Year award. 

Co-Head Cartoonist Camila Alvarado also won the SPAC logo competition. As a result, her design was featured throughout the event, including on the official stickers. 

Sports Feature Story Superior Achievement

Winning on Wells: XC wins State Championship, by Associate News and Features Editor Alexa Gola, Sports Editor Kieran Blake; photos by Photo Editor Leah Galibois

Non-Sports Photo Superior Achievement

Payton’s South Asian dance group, Masti, performed at the homecoming pep rally, by Photo Editor Leah Galibois

Special Coverage Excellent Achievement

2024-2025: Meet the Teachers, by Paw Print Staff (Mo Eneh, Cameron Caprio, Alexa Gola, Kieran Blake, Raina Suri)

Community Story Excellent Achievement

The Future of AI in College Admissions, by Staff Writer Annya Kong 

Staff Editorial Excellent Achievement

Staff Editorial: In defense of the student voice at Payton, by The Paw Print Editorial Board (Alexa Gola, Kieran Blake)

Op-ed or Column Excellent Achievement

The Day Democracy Died: The Student Government Elections, by Sports Editor Kieran Blake 

Sports News Story Excellent Achievement

Sectional IHSA Basketball Championship: Payton falls to St. Patrick, by Sports Editor Owen Zolner

Original Editorial Cartoon, Drawing or Comic Excellent Achievement

Digital Illustration from A show of civility in a time of civil unrest: the vice presidential debate, by Co-Head Cartoonist Camila Alvarado

Computer Graphics Excellent Achievement

Every vote matters: preparing for the Nov. 5 election, by Associate News and Features Editor Alexa Gola 

Sports Photo Excellent Achievement

Photo from September Sports Recap, by Photo Editor Leah Galibois 

Overall Newspaper Excellent Achievement

The Paw Print Staff

SPAC Logo Competition

Camila Alvarado

Student Fellowship

Kieran Blake

Teacher Fellowship

Ms. Vargas

Principal of the Year

Dr. Shabazz

Write-Offs: Best News Article

Madeleine Spanbauer