Olympian journalists achieve great success
Journalists from CVHS’ The Olympian have found great success this year after achieving 31 awards in total. Receiving awards from California Press Women, Journalism Education Association of Northern California, Outdoor Writers Association of California, and the California News Publishers Association, student journalists won in multiple categories across the board.
“I was a little surprised that I ended up winning such a nice amount, I was very excited,” said junior Mason Jordan, Olympian arts and entertainment editor. Jordan was a top winner, gaining recognition for a review about “Little Mermaid” (CPW), a feature photo (CNPA), as well as “Straight Out of Sacramento” for the digital news package (JEANC). Jordan also won an award for the PSA video “Get to know the First Amendment,” (JEANC) that he directed earlier this year.
“‘The Little Mermaid’ was my big awards achievement, but my favorite and personal best was my coverage of the Oscars,” reflected Jordan. “This year I was committed to proving that I could win awards and do great without covering hard news, and sticking to my niche that I am passionate about. I worked extra hard and I think I really pulled through in the end, and I’m really proud of myself.”
Senior Luis Ochea, Olympian photo editor, had similar sentiments as well. “I’m a bit surprised at how my opinion articles have garnered awards, but I’m happy to have won them. As for the Sacramento package, I was a bit expectant to win something with how much effort we put into making the interviews and digital items happen,” said Ochea. Along with his award in his own “Straight Out of Sacramento,” digital news package from JEANC, Ochea also won in columns from CNPA.
Ochea is very proud of his own personal accomplishments as well. “My best accomplishment for me was all of my best photos. My photography has gotten better throughout the year, and I think it shows in how I’ve reached a point where I have a high standard for what my photos should be like,” he shared.
The co-editor-in-chiefs also have views to share.
“My favorite part of journalism this year was the class discussions because I got to hear a lot of different perspectives,” said senior Melissa Boussaroque, who won in the enterprise news category with her favorite article “Advanced Classes Face Gender Imbalance” from CNPA. “I feel really happy about my win. I’ve won awards in my past two years so I was hoping to finish on a good note this year.”
“Joining journalism is a very fulfilling and worthwhile experience,” shared senior Kaitlyn Tchang. “Not only will you get to work with other amazing students, but you will also get to grow your skills in various areas, from photography to design, to writing and editing.”
Tchang received awards for feature writing “Wellness Center brings HEART to CVHS,” and profile “Spanish exchange students navigate CVHS.” Both editor-in-chiefs received recognition from The Olympian with editor of the year and hall of fame awards respectively.
Overall, all editors encourage students who have an interest in writing to consider taking journalism in the future.
“My favorite part of journalism this year was making pages; it’s fun and it lets me be creative with layouts, and I’m excited to experiment more next year,” said junior Gavin Peters, Olympian opinion editor. “To incoming students, I’d like to say live your best life and write what you want to write about, have fun in class, and keep the stories coming.”
“My biggest piece of advice would be to not be afraid to talk to sources, especially teachers and other staff members because they are often the best ones,” said Boussaroque.
The 2023-2024 editors and staff are proud to have a successful year and hope to see the best in future.
A complete list of award winners as follows:
California Press Women
Mason Jordan, review writing, “‘Little Mermaid’ Swims to Success”
Kaitlyn Tchang, feature writing, “Wellness Center brings HEART to CVHS”
Kalaya Williams, editorial cartoon, Newsom and new education laws
Haku Kremer, sports photography, soccer
Shannan Chan, feature photography, Batman and Joker
Shannan Chan, environmental reporting, “Willow Arctic Oil Project Approved: Woes and Wants for the future”
Ethan Dinh, podcast, “Trojan Horse”
Wyatt Franklin, podcast, “Trojan Horse”
Richard Paseman, graphics, Homecoming banner
Zoe Lawrence, editorial writing, “Supreme Court got it wrong on affirmative action”
Hailey Young, opinion writing, opinion writing, “Canvas and Code: The Irreplaceable Human Aspect of Art Amidst AI”
Journalism Education Association of Northern California
Wyatt Franklin and Ethan Dinh, audio story, ASB candidates interviewed
The Olympian (Renata Gutierrez, Mason Jordan, Luis Ochea, Matthew Wong, Hailey Young), digital news package, “Straight Outta Sacramento”
Mario Joseph, digital arts and entertainment package, “Students showcase skills at CASMEC All-State Choir”
Victor Bahng, feature photo, climbing club
The Olympian (Mason Jordan), PSA video, “Get to Know the First Amendment”
Outdoor Writers Association of California
Victor Bahng, feature story, climbing club
Victor Bahng, feature photo, climbing club
California News Publishers Association
The Olympian, online general excellence
Hakuto Kremer, sports action photo, soccer (first place)
Matthew Wong, writing, “Shock and Sadness”
Matthew Wong, coverage of school administration, “Teachers react to standards-based grading”
Melissa Boussaroque, enterprise news, “Advanced classes face gender imbalance”
Renata Gutierrez, sports action photo, football
Kaitlyn Tchang, profile, “Spanish exchange students navigate CVHS”
Luis Ochea, columns
Mason Jordan, feature photo, “Little Mermaid”
Shannan Chan, feature photo, Batman and Joker
The Olympian
Hailey Young, Olympian Rookie of the Year
Kaitlyn Tchang, Olympian Editor of the Year
Melissa Boussaroque, Olympian Hall of Fame