Over Easter Break, The Crusader staff touched down in Kansas City to participate in the National High School Journalism Convention. The journalism convention is where aspiring journalists go to learn more about journalism while being surrounded by people who are just as passionate about journalism as they are.
At the convention, The Crusader staff won several awards and earned high rankings in national competitions.
Altogether, The Crusader staff accumulated seven individual awards in the National Student Media Competitions
Angela Jia ’25 received the highest ranking of Superior for Press Law and Ethics, while Sean Reyes ’25 received the ranking of Excellent for Literary Magazine Photography.
Additionally, Honorable Mentions went to Katelyn Leong ’25 for Literary Magazine Illustration, Daniella Lainez ’26 for Literary Magazine Poetry, Ishaan Gupta ’26 for Current Events, Headlines and Editing, Aiden Pavon ’25 for Sports Writing, and Naomi Lin ’24 for Editorial Writing.
Jia said, “I was elated when I saw my name for the Superior award because it’s been my dream to get first place since last year’s convention.”
She continued, “To have the support of The Crusader and to hear them cheer when my name came up genuinely means so much to me.”
In addition, The Crusader newspaper placed ninth in the nation in the newspaper Best of Show category. Editor-in-Chief, Naomi Lin ’24, was extremely happy with this award.
“It was an immensely gratifying experience because it signified the culmination of all – Ms. Sutton, my own, the editors, and the staff reporters’ – efforts,” said Lin.
In addition, the team also placed third out of more than 20 teams in the quiz bowl for the second year in a row. Though the team did not win as they had hoped, they’re still happy with the result.
“Regardless, I’m proud of how we did. We placed first in the seeding, which has never been done in school history before, and overall it was fun competing,” Jia stated.
At the convention, the Crusader and their adviser, Ms. Sutton, gave a presentation on how to create strong headlines. She still finds the lesson gratifying even after years of doing it because it’s a different experience every time.
“Even though I’ve done that for several years now, it’s never the same since I always have a different group of students and a different group of students who are out there eager to learn,” Sutton said.
The staff also had time to explore Kansas City, getting a taste of the city with the guidance of history instructor and Kansas City barbeque connoisseur, Cory Nelson.
“Kansas city bbq is extremely important to me because it is synonymous with my love for Kansas city. It’s distinctive and original. Sweet molasses based bbq sauce with perfectly hickory smoked flavor is someth8ng that will never leave your heart” Nelson said.
Food review editor Julien Untulan ’24 believes that Kansas City barbeque is an American staple.
“Kansas City Barbecue, simple, sweet, and Smokey, is the bastion of flavor upon which the modern identity of American barbecue stands”
In addition, the team enjoyed a Kansas City Royals game vs the Chicago White Sox.
Arts and entertainment editor Katelyn Leong said, “I loved that we were able to explore a different MLB stadium and spend more time with our Riordan group.”
The staff all won five-dollar Sonic Drive-In gift cards after a Royals player hit a home run in their section.
The staff took home important lessons, five-dollar gift cards, and gained valuable experiences from the convention that they will carry with them in all of their journalistic endeavors.
