The Kansas Scholastic Press Association recognized Sofia Ball as winner of the 2026 Susan Massy Award given annually to the Kansas Student Journalist of the Year.
Ball, co editor-in-chief of The Northwest Passage at Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, received the honor during a surprise announcement in front of district administrators, journalism staff members and her family on Feb. 17 at the school. She is both the overall winner and the class 5A/6A winner. Her win marked the first time the award went to a SM Northwest student since being named in honor of the school’s retired adviser, Susan Massy.
KSPA also recognized Sidney Brooks of Inman High School as the Susan Massy Award winner for the 1A/2A division of the 2026 Student Journalist of the Year contest during a celebration at halftime of the senior night basketball game on Feb. 13.
“These students represent the best of scholastic journalism, serving their communities as dedicated storytellers,” KSPA Executive Director Barbara Tholen said. “We’re excited to see what they do next.”
As the overall winner, Ball will move on to compete against nominees from each state in the Journalism Education Association’s Journalist of the Year contest. The Journalism Education Association will recognize all state winners at the National High School Journalism Convention April 16-18 in Minneapolis. JEA will recognize one winner and five finalists at the convention.
A panel of judges selected the winners from applicants across the state. The application requires students to document and reflect on their work across a wide range of criteria.
“This is an intensive process,” Tholen said. “Each applicant shared impactful work. The range of their accomplishments shows the impressive range of work happening in Kansas high school journalism classrooms.”
Sofia Ball: Overall 2026 Student Journalist of the Year and 5A/6A Winner
- School: Shawnee Mission Northwest High School
- Adviser: Chris Heady
- Publication: The Northwest Passage Newspaper
- Student Portfolio: https://www.sofiaballkansasjournalist.com/
Ball’s online portfolio impressed judges: “She’s the real deal.”
While Ball’s portfolio showcased a wide range of journalistic work, including leadership, editing, design and photojournalism, her writing particularly stood out to the judges. They noted her ability to report on difficult topics with maturity.
“Writing is exceptional with strong transitions and consistent style,” one judge wrote. “A delight to read.”
Ball’s personal narrative described her journey through high school as she grew as a journalist and fell in love with the craft.
“I like to believe that I’m always thinking and operating like a reporter,” Ball said. “I’m quiet in class as I listen to table conversations near me; a sophomore in health talking about her two-year-old daughter’s birthday party, girls on the gymnastics team lamenting in weights class about this being their last season before it is no longer a KSHSAA sport, or one talkative senior in creative writing who presents about the tattoo on her ribs that commemorates her mother who died of cancer. I didn’t think anything was more important than listening to someone’s story. That was until I got the opportunity to actually tell it.”
Ball plans on pursuing journalism after high school and reflects on the role of a journalist in her application.
“As journalists, our job isn’t to advocate or solve problems or make sense of everything, only present people with realities, and make them think,” she wrote.
Ball exemplifies these duties not just for her school newspaper but in professional publications as well. Her adviser Chris Heady said this is a reflection of her ambition and reporting talent.
“To say Sofia Ball is wise beyond her years is a ridiculous understatement. She could walk into 90% of newspapers today and make their metro desk better,” he wrote in his recommendation. “In fact, she’s a contributor to the Johnson County Post, a local news site in the KC Area. She’s covered stories for them, one of which won second place in a state-wide contest against professional reporters.”
In her extensive work covering sensitive topics such as the passing of a peer and the community’s grief, Ball approaches her interviewees with a strong sense of humanity, noted Dr. Lisa Gruman, principal at Shawnee Mission Northwest.
“Sofia navigated each interaction with a care and compassion beyond the skill of most adults,” Gruman said in her recommendation. “Her thoughtful work, numerous reflections and conversations with her advisor; authentic connections formed with each person she interviewed, created a story that proved cathartic for our students, staff and everyone who interacted with her writing.”
Sidney Brooks: 1A/2A Student Journalist of the Year
- School: Inman High School
- Adviser: Megan Bloom
- Publication: Teuton Yearbook
- Student Portfolio: https://sidneybrooks220.wixsite.com/sidney-brooks
For four years, Sidney has worked as a student journalist and photographer for the Inman High School yearbook. She’s a regular on the sidelines of events, which is where KSPA surprised her with her award.
Brook’s work includes visual storytelling through photojournalism along with written and multimedia content. She also has her own photography business.
Judges noted that Brooks’ had served as a mentor for new staff members, excelled in sports photojournalism and had developed an “impressive photo portfolio.”
Despite small journalism class sizes and struggles with older technology, Brooks described how she forged a path to learn the purpose of journalism.
“I realized that journalism is not just about taking pictures or writing articles,” Brooks said. “It’s about giving people a voice and telling stories that matter. I wanted to be part of that; I wanted to help share moments that could shape how people see the world.”
In her four years with school publications, Brooks learned the importance of trusting her intuition when reporting. Creating media that she believed in helped her overcome self doubt.
“While I was excited that my images were reaching a wide audience, and I was winning first and second place in state and national awards, that also came with a large amount of pressure to take the photos that I thought others would like,” Brooks said. “I was scared that if every photo I took was not up to the same standard, then I wasn’t actually ‘good’ at what I did. Now that I am a senior, I’ve learned how to prioritize my own creativity and vision. The candid moments that I love cannot be captured in a performative way. I’ve learned to trust myself and my skills; that is enough.”
A key quality of a strong journalist that Brooks’ embodies is a willingness to learn. Brooks’ mentor, Doug Neufeld, is impressed by her growth and professionalism.
“She is like a sponge and welcomes constructive criticism whenever it is offered,” Neufeld said. “Sidney has developed so much in her creative thinking and is continually looking for new ways to tell stories with her photos that go far beyond what mere words can accomplish.”