May 28, 2024 - Two Comal ISD journalism students earned state UIL titles during the academic state meet on May 14 at the University of Texas at Austin. Smithson Valley High School junior Bethany Mann won the state team championship after placing first in featuring writing, third in editorial and fifth in headline writing in the 5A classification, and Memorial Early College High School senior Jaela Bailey won the gold in headline writing in the 3A classification.
Mann received the first-place 5A team trophy and gold medal after competing against students from 28 schools across the state in journalism’s five events including editorial, feature, news, headline and copy editing.
Bailey won the state 3A title for headline writing, and her entry was named Tops in Texas after being compared to the first-place winners in all divisions.
Three additional Comal ISD students competed in journalism at the state level including Skyler King and Lillian Vickers from Hill Country College Preparatory High School who both qualified in copy editing, and Camille Hanson also from HCCPHS who qualified as an alternate in featuring writing.
School Newspapers Online (SNO) Distinguished Sites
The School Newspapers Online Distinguished Sites (SNO) recognition program awards excellence in online scholastic and collegiate journalism and is composed of six achievable badges honoring outstanding journalism. This year, the Valley Ventana, the SVHS online publication, was recognized as a Distinguished Site. It was the 29th school to achieve this honor among the 551 participants, and one of only six in Texas.
Best in Texas News and Broadcast Program
In addition to the UIL competition, journalism students from SVHS received honors for their work in the Texas Association of Journalism Educators (TAJE) 2024 Best in Texas News and Broadcast program. The journalism and commercial photography teacher at SVHS is Margaret Edmonson.
Individual journalism honors for TAJE’s Best in Texas contest were awarded in various categories to the following students.
- Eva Arriola, honorable mention for sports feature
- Lukas Haider, excellent for sports game story
- Allison Howe, honorable mention for staff editorial
- Olivia Ingram, excellent for feature story
- Alissa Kastle, honorable mention for sports feature story and superior sports feature photo
- Andrew Lewis, superior for news story
- Bethany Mann, honorable mention for news-feature story, honorable mention for sports feature story, excellent for staff editorial, honorable mention for personal opinion column, excellent for entertainment review
- Alex Whelchel, excellent for story portfolio, superior for feature story, excellent for sports feature, and honorable mention for staff editorial
- Austen Young, honorable mention for entertainment review
Congratulations!
Photo information
-Memorial Early College High School senior Jaela Bailey won the State 3A UIL headline writing journalism title at the academic state meet on May 14.
-Smithson Valley High School junior Bethany Mann won the State 5A UIL Journalism team title at the academic state meet on May 14.
-The Smithson Valley High School Valley Ventana staff was recognized by the Texas Association of Journalism Educators as a School Newspapers Online Distinguished Site.