The inaugural NEHS-Harvard Crimson Student Journalism Award exceeded all expectations with an astounding volume and exceptional quality of submissions from NEHS chapters worldwide, showcasing a diverse range of journalistic themes.
We are thrilled to announce that all winners, listed below, will receive financial awards. Additionally, the 1st place winners have the incredible opportunity to participate in a prestigious summer internship at the Harvard Crimson.
Read on to see our wonderful winning articles and publications, and look out for more about the 2024-2025 NEHS-Harvard Crimson Student Journalism Award soon!
Student Publication Award
1st place: The Blueprint, Hagerty High School, FL
Read: The Blueprint
Paul J. Hagerty High School, located in Oviedo, FL, is part of Seminole County Public Schools and opened in 2005. Its newspaper, The Blueprint, has been active since the school’s inception. The Hagerty Journalism program is a student-run organization dedicated to producing insightful and credible articles with multimedia elements. The Blueprint publishes six issues annually, covering news, opinions, features, and sports. It is recognized as one of the best student publications at both state and national levels, receiving numerous awards, including the Florida Scholastic Press Association’s “Best of the Best” and “Sunshine Standout” awards. It has been a National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker Finalist for the online website for 15 years and won a Pacemaker in 2024. The Columbia Scholastic Press Association has awarded The Blueprint a Silver Crown in the Hybrid News category since 2020.
Editorial Board:
Kailey Calvo is a junior at Hagerty High School in Oviedo, FL. She has been a member of the Hagerty chapter of NEHS since her induction one year ago. This is her second year on the newspaper staff and she serves as the print editor for The Blueprint. She is acting secretary of Rho Kappa, treasurer of Girl Up, and president of Quill and Scroll. In addition to being heavily involved in her community, Kailey enjoys traveling, reading, and attending concerts. She is also very passionate about reading, and one of her favorite books is Daisy Jones & The Six.
Nadia Knoblauch is a senior at Hagerty High School in Oviedo, FL and part of the Hagerty chapter of NEHS. This is her third year on staff of the school newspaper. Nadia has strong passions for journalism and activism, serving as the Vice Chair of Communications for the Florida Scholastic Press Association and Florida Coalition Leader for the United Nations’ Girl Up Initiative. She was named FSPA’s Emerging Young Journalist in 2022 and hopes to study Political Science and Journalism in college.
Greta Carrasco is a junior at Hagerty High School, and this is her third year on staff. She was born in Mexico and is fluent in both English and Spanish. Her favorite types of stories are opinions, and she enjoys writing about topics she’s passionate about.
Ava West is a senior at Hagerty High School, and this is her third year on staff. Ava loves to write and is very passionate about journalism. She also does weightlifting and plays varsity lacrosse.
2nd place: The Network, Marian High School, NE
Read: The Network
This publication, Marian’s Network newspaper, is a monthly print newspaper written by students of Nebraska’s only Class A all-girls school. It is our goal to provide an accurate and informative news source for the student community. The 2023-2024 school year is the 68th edition of The Network, upholding decades of journalistic integrity and an enthusiasm for publication. The most recent March edition won a 10th place in the National Best of Show Competition at the JEA/NSPA National Spring High School Journalism Convention. Three members of this staff are leaders in the school’s NEHS Marcella Chapter.
Editorial Board:
Martha Engel is the managing editor of The Network and member of Marian High School’s NEHS Marcella Chapter. She’s extremely dedicated and passionate about everything she does. She participates in the Marian musicals and plays, ballet, and is a core team member of FIAT. She absolutely loves to read, specifically mysteries and historical fiction, and her favorite library in Omaha is the A.V. Sorensen branch. On staff, her dedication to the publication shines and she is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet! She’s always there when you need help with someone, and is always ready with a smile. She plans to major in history and literature at the University of Notre Dame next year.
Maya Zier is the sports editor and manages page 13 for Marian High School’s Network newspaper. As part of Marian’s Marcella NEHS chapter, Maya harbors a love of all things reading, and her favorite bookstore is The Bookworm. When Maya isn’t working hard on her page, she loves to eat Mootz pizza, be a full time Harry Styles fan, scoop ice cream at Countryside Cones and spend time with her friends, family, and dogs. Maya is a dedicated member of the Marian Varsity Bowling team, Varsity Tennis, and campus ministry. All who know Maya know her as a kind and bubbly person who brings community and fun to everything she does!
Madison Shaffar is a dedicated graphic editor of Marian’s Network and Burn literary magazine. Also part of Marian’s Marcella NEHS chapter, she plans on majoring in Journalism at the University of Kansas next year. She loves realistic fiction and her favorite book of all time is the Perks of Being a Wallflower. Outside of school, you can find Madi working at HOTWORX, going to concerts, watching New Girl, and spending time with her two dogs (Ivy and Wrigley), friends, and family.
3rd place: The Verdict, Justice High School, VA
Read: The Verdict
The Verdict is a student run newspaper at Justice High School. It started out as The Raiders Digest and the name changed in 2019 following the name change for the school. Originally Justice High School was named Jeb Stuart, who was a confederate general. The process to change the name of the school was no easy feat as it took 5 years to accomplish. The purpose of The Verdict is to deliver informative, entertaining, and engaging content for the Justice High School community. At The Verdict there is no tolerance for discrimination or hate within staff members or the content produced. The content is decided by a committee consisting of the editorial staff, Advisor, and is reviewed by the school’s administration team.
Editorial Board:
Yohannan Gugsa is the editor in chief of The Verdict. She is one of the contributing founders of the journalism club with the position of Secretary. She is a junior in her third year of journalism. She has a deep passion for writing and investigative journalism. She describes that the best part of this class is the sense of community there is. She enjoys how journalism allows her to meet new people and find new stories.
Tess Maloney is a junior in her second year writing for The Verdict, growing from a staff writer to the managing editor. She has a strong interest in historical literature and opinion-based journalism. Her favorite part of working on the paper is collaborating with other members and revising works for final print. Additionally, Tess is one of the contributing founders and treasurer of the Journalism Club at Justice. Beyond her time spent toward schoolwork, she loves to read. Her favorite book is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith.
Isra Yousif is a junior in her second year of writing for The Verdict. She enjoys reading, writing, and listening to music. Isra is typically described as hardworking. Her favorite story she has written in the past is “Sports in Ramadan” a short article about the struggle and reward Muslim students get from fasting while participating in spring sports. Isra is also the business manager and is the vice president and one of four founders of the Journalism club. Some fun facts about Isra are that her favorite music artist is Frank Ocean and her favorite book is The Summer I turned Pretty by Jenny Han.
Ibrahim Dawoud is a sophomore social media manager who joined The Verdict with the determination of being heard and making a difference in his community. Ibrahim enjoys spending time with friends, writing, listening to music, watching movies, football and playing video games. He also enjoys cooking and wants to pursue a career in culinary arts. Ibrahim’s goal in The Verdict is having the struggles of being a black student heard. He also hopes to take steps to make a difference in his environment and learning for his current class and many generations to come. Ibrahim plans to write about social, local, and world problems and is also putting local businesses and resources in the spotlight for his fellow classmates.
Blue Linden is a student journalist and developer with three years of experience, starting in seventh grade. She began in broadcast journalism before moving to web journalism in eighth grade. Her programming experience spans a few fields, with about four years of Linux server administration and two years of web development under her metaphorical belt. That’s why she works on the website. She loves how journalism pushes her out of her bubble.
Student Article Award
1st place: “Surveillance with SmartPass,” Cassandra Pelosi, North Salem High School, NY
Read: “Surveillance with SmartPass”
Cassandra Pelosi, a senior editor and NEHS Fitzgerald Chapter member, first became aware of Tiger Times as a reader in eighth grade. She now has what she considers “the privilege” to write about the sports teams she plays on and the school events in which she participates, and finds it rewarding to look back to the articles she wrote freshman year compared to her work as a senior. Cassandra plans to major in political science and minor in English in college, as well as join the student newspaper. Outside of school, Cassandra loves trying new restaurants and coffee shops, as well as running and playing sports.
Cassandra writes for the Tiger Times, which has been the official student newspaper for North Salem High School in North Salem, New York for over 20 years. All students in grades 9-12 are welcome to participate as writers, while editing positions are annually reserved for select seniors. The paper covers local news, culture, athletics, and the arts, as well as offering opportunities for students to express opinions on international, national, and local issues on its editorial page.
2nd place: “Protecting the 305: The fight for Cultural Diversity in Miami,” Sofia Barrera, Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart, FL
Read: “Protecting the 305: The Fight for Cultural Diversity in Miami”
Sofia Barrera is an eleventh grade student in Miami, FL. As an active member of the National English Honor Society chapter named after her high school, Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart, Sofia currently leads a team of members in collaboration with a local nonprofit organization to encourage accessible literary education in her community. She has developed a journalistic presence at her school by becoming the first opinion editor of The Beat. In her free time, Sofia enjoys reading classic literature; her favorite book is The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.
Sofia writes for The Beat, an all-girls, student-run publication at Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart in Miami, FL, that seeks to educate, inspire, and amplify the voices of the academic community. This student newspaper seeks to function as a forum for free discourse that encapsulates all forms of journalism: news, entertainment, opinion, and more. Each member and editor of the newspaper commits themselves to ethical journalistic principles in a scholastic environment that empowers their community.
3rd place: “Blurring the lines: Christianity’s role in American Politics,” Riya Pharsiyawar, Danbury High School, CT
Read: “Blurring the lines: Christianity’s role in American politics”
Riya Pharsiyawar, a junior at Danbury High School in Danbury, CT, is a lover of all words. From English to her native Kannada to Hindi to her newest love, Spanish, Riya has a deep interest in languages and writing. She is currently the treasurer of her chapter of the National English Honor Society and enjoys spending time at her outreach program with a local elementary school where she shares her love of English with young children. Riya hopes to pursue a career in international relations where she’ll continue learning languages and traveling the world.
Riya writes for The Hatters’ Herald, named for the unique Danbury High School mascot, the Hatter. This publication was initially a print newspaper but has since shifted to an entirely digital platform, hattersherald.com. Danbury High School’s Journalism I and Journalism II students are in charge of writing, editing, and marketing the articles published on the page. The Hatters’ Herald publishes articles on a multitude of topics, from features on Cillian Murphy to deep dives into the war in Gaza to “Soundcheck,” a music-lover’s favorite column. The publication is currently supervised by Ms. Stankiewicz, the Journalism teacher at the school.
National English Honor Society
The National English Honor Society (NEHS), founded and sponsored by Sigma Tau Delta, is the only international organization exclusively for secondary students and faculty who, in the field of English, merit special note for past and current accomplishments. Individual secondary schools are invited to petition for a local chapter, through which individuals may be inducted into Society membership. Immediate benefits of affiliation include academic recognition, scholarship and award eligibility, and opportunities for networking with others who share enthusiasm for, and accomplishment in, the language arts.
America’s first honor society was founded in 1776, but high school students didn’t have access to such organizations for another 150 years. Since then, high school honor societies have been developed in leadership, drama, journalism, French, Spanish, mathematics, the sciences, and in various other fields, but not in English. In 2005, National English Honor Society launched and has been growing steadily since, becoming one of the largest academic societies for secondary schools.
As Joyce Carol Oates writes, “This is the time for which we have been waiting.” Or perhaps it was Shakespeare: “Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer . . .” we celebrate English studies through NEHS.
National English Honor Society accepts submissions to our blog, NEHS Museletter, from all membership categories (students, Advisors, and alumni). If you are interested in submitting a blog, please read the Suggested Guidelines on our website. Email any questions and all submissions to: submit@nehsmuseletter.us.
