News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: KEVIN_N_KEEGAN@MCPSMD.ORG

For the third year in a row, staffers on The Blake Beat at James Hubert Blake High School have led the state in journalism awards in the 2009 Maryland Scholastic Press Association individual writing and editing contest for high school newspapers, as announced through the College of Journalism at the University of Maryland in College Park.

Blake Beat staffers received recognition for 26 submissions for the 2008-2009 school year, easily distancing themselves from Montgomery Blair’s Silver Chips (16 awards) and Walt Whitman’s Black and White (11 awards).

Blake Beat graphic artists swept the Illustration (hand or computer-generated) category by winning all five awards: Christine Lien (first in the state), Brendan Lipton (second in the state), Patrick Howe (third in the state), and Brendan Lipton and Patrick Lowe again (honorable mention). Brendan Lipton also took first prize statewide for his Double-Page Layout, while Kelly Shih took first prize statewide for Informational Graphics.

Other Beat staffers who finished among the top three entrants statewide in this year’s MSPA contest include Isaac Hirsch (third in the state in Cartooning), Kelly Shih (third in the state in Front-Page Layout), Ben Martin (second in the state for Photography), Jonathan Yuen (third in the state for Photography), Justin Pereira (second in the state for Inside-Page Layout), Ryan Arrendell (second in the state for Signed Opinion Column), Hannah Mellman (second in the state for Sports Writing), Ben Hostetter and Jay Sharma (third in the state for Sports Writing), Justin Pereira (second in the state for Sports Feature Writing), Nick Foley (second in the state for Sports Opinion Column), and Justin Pereira (third in the state for Sports Opinion Column).

Eight other Blake Beat entries were recognized as Honorable Mention winners: Kelly Shih (Informational Graphics), Laura Brady and Luan Pham (Newswriting), Amelia Holgash and Christine League (Newswriting), Christina DeGraft-Johnson and Kelly Shih (Front-Page Layout), Kelly Shih (Signed Editorial Column), Andrew Padgett (Signed Editorial Column), Hannah Mellman (Signed Editorial Column), and Kelly Shih (Reviews).

The Blake Beat is advised by journalism teacher Kevin Keegan.

More details may be found on the MSPA website