Rio Americano Mirada reporters won two national awards for reporting from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.
Competing against high school journalists from across the country, Mirada reporters were recognized for a news profile and a news feature, articles that were written last year.
Stella Plain and Ben Steffensrud took third place for their profile of social science teacher Brian Brickey as he prepared to leave the school and his family to serve with the Army Reserves in the Middle East for almost a year.
Two reporters for the Mirada received an award of merit for their article on Afghan refugee students who had fled the Taliban. The reporters requested that their names be left off the article because they have family in Afghanistan and fear reprisals should their story be seen online.
Journalism teacher Michael Mahoney said he was proud of the work his staff has done.
“Stella and Ben were freshmen when they wrote about Mr. Brickey,” he said. “They learned a lot in the class, and then they put their skills to work telling a story that really matters to our community.”
The article about the Afghan students also showed that high school journalists can write about difficult real-world issues, Mahoney said.
“Our reporters did a great job getting those stories,” Mahoney said. “They could relate to their subjects because they were also refugees. Their reporting and photos of the flight out of Kabul helped bring this distant international event home for our readers.”
Further reading:
“History Teacher Deploying to Middle East for Year”
“Fleeing the Taliban: Three Rio Students on Their Journey to the U.S.”
