Seventeen Hays High School students qualified for state after placing in the top six at the Class 5A/6A Regional Journalism Competition on Feb. 28 at Wichita State University.

Journalism adviser Bill Gasper said in a news release Wednesday several of the students were multiple winners, so the total number of qualifying entries equals 25.

“It was a good day for the program,” Gasper said. “I have excellent students who are very creative in a variety of areas, including writing, photography and graphic design. I’m very pleased with the results and the overall effort of my students. I’m particularly proud of the fact that we compete well against much larger 6A schools, many of which have more than three times the number of students.”

Gasper said two students from each school can enter in one or more of 19 categories, which test a variety of journalism skills. Hays entered contestants in 18 of those categories and qualified students in 17.

Six awards are given in each category — first, second and third, as well as three honorable mentions. All six qualify for state.

“Sometimes the kids get down when they get an honorable mention, but I quickly remind them that they placed in the top six, which is a heck of an accomplishment,” Gasper said. “I’ve had people in the past get honorable mention at regionals and place in the top three at state. It kind of depends on the judges and what kind of day the students are having.”

State competition will be May 3 at the University of Kansas.

“State is really competitive,” Gasper said. “That’s where we run into the Kansas City schools, which have excellent resources and lots of students in their programs. But we hold our own pretty well. Good journalists are good journalists, no matter how big the program. My students continue to amaze me with their talent, and I certainly appreciate their efforts in making me look a lot smarter than I am.”

Hays State Journalism Qualifiers
Cutline Writing: 2. senior Jessica Stoecklein
Editing: 1. senior Sana Cheema; 3. senior Nicole Feyerherm
Editorial Cartoon: 1. senior Rachel Moravek
Editorial Writing: 2. sophomore Sylina Zhang
Feature Writing: 1. senior Nicole Feyerherm; HM sophomore Brianna Mathias
News Writing: 2. senior Rachel Moravek
Newspaper Sports Writing: 2. senior Sara Nansel; HM sophomore Morgan Klaus
Yearbook Copy Writing: 2. sophomore Brianna Mathias; 3. senior Mackenzie Lewis
Yearbook Sports Writing: 2. sophomore Morgan Klaus
Advertising: 3. sophomore Meredith Martin
Headline Writing: HM senior Aislinn Walter; HM junior Thea Ferland
Infographics: HM junior Jasmine Lawson
Yearbook Layout: HM senior Sana Cheema; HM junior Jasmine Lawson
Student Life Photography: 3. senior Olivia Wiesner; HM senior Shelby Richmeier
Academics Photography: 1. senior Paige Coffman
Sports Photography: 2. sophomore Taylor Deboer; HM sophomore Morgan Klaus
Photo Illustration: HM sophomore Meredith Martin