Countywide : 4 Journalism Awards for Sunny Hills High

The student newspaper at Sunny Hills High School in Fullerton, The Accolade, took the most awards in the Times Orange County 1990 high school journalism awards, winning four categories and earning two honorable mentions.

High school newspapers throughout the county were recognized for outstanding work during the 1989-90 school year in an awards ceremony Wednesday.

The Accolade won in the “best issue” category for newspapers with more than four pages. Judges called the publication “an exceptional paper,” lauding its layout, writing and overall presentation. “Students are getting good training,” judges said.

In the division including newspapers of four pages or less, winner in the best issue category was Paw Prints, from Los Amigos High in the Garden Grove Unified School District. Judges said the school’s paper “shows lots of teacher-student dedication” and complimented its “serious tone.”

The Accolade and Paw Prints earn $1,000 each for the schools’ journalism departments.

Betsy Burnbridge of Fullerton’s Sunny Hills High School won the award for best sports story for an entry judges said included “lots of good insights.”

In the feature story category, Elizabeth Bangs of Sunny Hills won top honors for an article on teen pregnancy. Vanessa Flint of Orange High School won for best feature photo of a football coach and player. She also won honorable mention for a photo of scuba divers.

The award for best news story went to Sheila McDonald of Dana Hills High School in Dana Point for a story about a mock trial on campus. McDonald “did a particularly good job of communicating the drama and intensity,” judges said.

In the best cartoon/illustration category, Jennifer Mahr of Sunny Hills won top honors for an illustration accompanying a story about depression.

“The bold pen-work of her illustration,” judges said, “seizes the eye, fulfilling the obligation of the illustrator to prepare the reader for the story to follow.”

Judges unanimously agreed that an analysis by Duncan Delp of Garden Grove High School about a closed campus planetarium was the best editorial entered.

“It’s concise, clear and makes its point by acknowledging the arguments advanced by those who say it would be too much bother to reopen the planetarium, and then it shows their weaknesses,” judges said.