NCHS students win awards for exceptional journalism at Wyoming Student Media Association competition

CASPER, Wyo. — Natrona County High School journalism students recently received rave reviews, and awards, at the Wyoming Student Media Association competition.

That’s according to a release from the Natrona County School District, which stated that several students were recognized for excellence, winning several different awards.

NCHS won two prestigious 3A/4A All-State Champion Yearbook Team Awards, as well as two All-State Individual Awards, including:

• All-State Champion Yearbook (Team Members: Ramsay Myers, Meryl Matas, Delaney True, Ava Garvin, and numerous 2024 English IV grads who authored their own spreads for the book)
• Overall People’s Choice Yearbook (Team)
• All State Champion Writing: Hunter McDaniel
• All State Runner-Up Writing: Kate Gillihan
• All State Champion Yearbook Portfolio: Ramsay Myers
• Bronze Award Yearbook Portfolio: Ava Garvin

The release notes that during the Wyoming Student Media Association, students attended seminars led by professional journalists and competed against other students across Wyoming. Students’ work from the previous school year was submitted for review and judging by a panel of advisors and/or professional journalists. New journalism students Thomas Walters, Cadence Burke, Samantha McCarty and Tayler Zanolli attended the event, and their work will be submitted for next year’s judging.

“The students in NCHS’s Journalism class consider themselves not just journalists but also memory-keepers dedicated to capturing their generation’s spirit and preserving it for years to come,” the release stated. “At the start of the school year, students concentrate on the fundamental aspects of journalism. They explore the significance of a free press, learn how to evaluate and consume news effectively, and then focus on applying what they have learned to create and publish their work throughout the year.”

Throughout the course, students are tasked with covering the daily news of their community as well as their school. They also develop and print the school’s annual student yearbook.

“Together, they brainstorm story ideas, conduct interviews, and meticulously craft articles and Mustang Yearbook pages highlighting their peers’ and community’s achievements, challenges, impactful moments, and aspirations,” the release stated.

The Wyoming Student Media Association, per the release, “exists to provide Wyoming schools with journalism education, training, and recognition programs anchored in relevant journalism ethics.”