The Michigan Interscholastic Press Association recognized 11 students with its top Sparty Award and another 24 with an Award of Excellence for their outstanding work during the 2021 Summer Journalism Workshop.
MIPA hosted 100 participants from across the country for the online program, which ran in two sessions from July 19-23 and July 26-30. Students could choose from 10 courses in various journalism and media skills. MIPA has continuously run a summer workshop in affiliation with the Michigan State University School of Journalism since 1984, moving the program online in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Students receiving the Sparty Award, the workshop’s top prize for overall outstanding work, were:
- Lauren Silpoch & Rachael Wilding of Grand Blanc High School in Best Theme Ever
- Grace Marocco of Twin Lakes High School (Monticello, Indiana) in Broadcast News & Video
- Eleni Tecos of Grosse Pointe South High School in InDesign for Publications
- Mikey Williamson of Canton High School in Journalistic Storytelling
- Ridhima Kodali of Ann Arbor Huron High School in Beyond the Basics of the Photo Master Class
- Margot Murphy of Grosse Pointe South High School in Shoot Like a Pro of the Photo Master Class
- Eilene Koo of Ann Arbor Huron High School in Podcasting & Audio Storytelling
- Vish Gondesi of Ann Arbor Huron High School in Social Media Journalism
- Allison Mi of Ann Arbor Huron High School in The Bobby Hawthorne Experience
- Lisa Chai of Novi High School in Yearbook Essentials
Instructors also selected participants from each course to be recognized with an Award of Excellence for their efforts during the program. Award of Excellence winners were:
- Natalie Bohnsack & Caitlyn Heffernan of Ann Arbor Huron High School in Best Theme Ever for “It’s All Great”
- Lisa Chai of Novi High School in Best Theme Ever for “The Power of One”
- Anna Chellman, Lauren Ford, Tess Foster & Olivia Graffenius of (Stevenson) Lakeshore High School in Best Theme Ever for “This Was So Worth It”
- Amaya Morgan of Raytown High School (Missouri) in Broadcast News & Video for “Outstanding Storytelling through Editing”
- Khloe Prince of Holt High School in InDesign for Publications for “Design Leadership”
- Kain Stobb of Kirkwood High School (Missouri) in InDesign for Publications for “Design Intuition”
- Meghan Wysocki of Grosse Pointe South High School in InDesign for Publications for “Design Principles”
- Veronica Arghiropol of Maine South High School (Park Ridge, Illinois) in Journalistic Storytelling for “Observational Storytelling”
- Ashley Han of Clague Middle School in Journalistic Storytelling for “Storytelling Quote Gathering”
- Brianna Johnson of Troy Athens High School in Journalistic Storytelling for “Storytelling Quote Gathering”
- Margot Murphy of Grosse Pointe South High School in the Beyond the Basics segment of the Photo Master Class for “Being Focused on Learning”
- Alexis Urbano of Eisenhower High School in the Shoot Like a Pro segment of the Photo Master Class for “Hitting the Deadlines”
- Mikayla Mazza of Henry Ford II High School in Podcasting & Audio Storytelling for “Top-Notch Audio Production”
- Emily Hu & Olivia Liao of Clague Middle School in Social Media Journalism for “Revolutionizing Middle School Journalism”
- Lindsey Soet of Forest Hills Eastern High School in Social Media Journalism for “Creating a Solid Blueprint for Social Media Success”
- Anna Czech of Grosse Pointe South High School in The Bobby Hawthorne Experience for “All-Round Writing”
- Katie Hagen of H. H. Dow High School in The Bobby Hawthorne Experience for “All-Round Writing”
- Ridhima Kodali of Ann Arbor Huron High School in The Bobby Hawthorne Experience for “All-Round Writing”
- Maxine Edsall-Parr of East Lansing High School in Yearbook Essentials for “Ready to Roll”