Allison Kohn, a senior from Blue Valley High School, won the February Story of the Month contest for her personal column about taking a self-defense class. The class was started in memory of a former BVHS student who was assaulted and murdered in 2002 while working at a Leawood, Kan., pool.
The judges noted Kohn’s facile writing style and commended her for writing about more than just her personal experience. Kohn “takes the personal experience beyond herself and serves a dual purpose so rare among high school columnists: she covers news and provides commentary in one heartfelt package.”
Judges (all from the University of Kansas School of Journalism) noted the overall strength of the 10 entries, saying it was the best overall group of entries it had seen all year.
In addition to Kohn’s story, here are the top columns:
- “Rise and Demise” by David Catt of Shawnee Mission Northwest, Best Sports Column;
- “A Heart for Sports” by Brittany Neigenfind of Maize HS, Best Personal Snapshot Column;
- “Dealing with a disability” by Matt Gannon, Shawnee Mission East, Best Personal Experience Column;
- “you DON’T have to . . . ” by Alex Burnett, Shawnee Mission West, Best Social Commentary.
The next Story of the Month contest is for Newspaper or News Magazine Design and the postmark deadline for entries is March 31.
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