The Wildcat student newspaper won its third consecutive “Best of Show” award for online publication, and six staff members placed in their respective categories, including top honors in Editorial Writing for Opinion Editor Quyen Anderson (‘28), at the Orange County Journalism Education Association (OCJEA) Write-Offs at Northwood High School, Feb. 21.
OCJEA, an affiliate of the national Journalism Education Association (JEA), brought together 223 students from 13 high schools throughout Orange County to compete in categories including news writing and photography, editorial writing and cartooning, feature writing, sports writing, critical review writing, and newspaper and yearbook design.
11 Wildcat staff members competed in the day-long event which began with a welcome speech by OCJEA president Daniel Langhorne in Northwood’s Performing Arts Center (PAC). Langhorne told the assembled student journalists and advisers of the day’s schedules and reinforced OCJEA’s mission of supporting student journalism.
Students then dispersed to classrooms across Northwood’s campus to write or draw in their respective categories. Photographers roamed the campus seeking opportunities to capture candids of the competitors.
One of the 16 photographers competing was Wildcat Photo Editor Issabella Garcia (‘27), who placed second in News Photography. Photos were judged based on journalistic value, photo composition, technical excellence, and captions. It was Garcia’s first time attending a write-off competition.
“It was really fun! I got a feel of what it was gonna be like in the real world being around [other] photographers,” Garcia said. “The competition pushed me to photograph tougher spots.”
Writers in the news and editorial categories attended an hour-long mock press conference led by the event’s advisers portraying the roles of a high school principal, a district superintendent, and an ASB student. The scenario presented was an ASB president’s expulsion for using AI use in his campaign speech.
After taking notes by hand, Wildcat staff writer Dara Aung-Pfingsten (‘29) was allowed one hour to complete an article.
“The fact that we had so little time made me think harder of what I had to focus on,” Aung-Pfingsten said. “Especially since it was the second or third news story I’ve done, it was really helpful and made me better at news writing.”
Also observing the mock conference was Wildcat Art Editor Ellice Yoo (‘28), who placed eighth in the Editorial Cartoon category for her pen drawing of a student conflicted between the choice of using AI or not. Also a first-time competitor, Yoo acknowledged that competing in the write-off was a valuable experience that forced her to step outside her comfort zone.
“Being in a competitive environment surrounded by other artists at my skill level really pushed me,” Yoo said.
The day’s top individual honor for the Wildcat staff was awarded to Anderson for her editorial. Anderson said that having to write under a tight deadline challenged her, and forced her to be more attentive with her diction.
“Competing taught me to not underestimate myself and to think better under pressure,” Anderson said. “What helped me succeed was trying to focus on every word so that every word had a meaning and purpose in my editorial.”
Also placing in the top 10 in their respective categories were Wildcat Editor-in-Chief Siena Codekas (‘27) who placed fifth for sports writing for her article on Sonora High School’s color guard coach, and Wildcat Feature Editor Sophia Peñalba (‘28) who placed seventh for her story about a dancer.
When the writing sessions ended at 11:30 a.m., teams either left for the day, or retreated to local lunch spots to bond before the awards ceremony at 3:30 p.m. The Wildcats, including adviser Alex Koers, walked to a nearby shopping center for sushi, ramen, and Thai.
“I was incredibly proud of our journalist’s successes during the write-off,” Koers said, “but having time and sharing lunch with the students outside the pressures of the newsroom was definitely a highlight for me.”
In addition to the individual achievements, the Wildcat online newspaper won “Best of Show” in the North Division, which included Sunny Hills, Cypress, Oxford Academy, Sonora, Fountain Valley, and Fullerton high schools. It was the third straight year the Wildcat has earned the honor.
Awarded 98 out of 100 possible points, the judge’s notes stated that, “[the Wildcat] has outstanding website design and beautiful photography to accompany it, with strong reporting and a consistently updated site (and podcast).”
The recognition capped a successful day for the Wildcat, while setting the stage for the next round of competition for the six staff members who qualified for the Southern California write-offs.
By placing in the top 10 in their respective categories, Anderson, Garcia, Codekas, Peñalba, Aung-Pfingsten and Yoo advance to the Southern California Journalism Education Association (SCJEA) write-offs at Harvard-Westlake School on March 14.
