Inklings Newsmagazine won the Hoosier Star Award at the Indiana High School Press Association (IHSPA) convention for their 2022-2023 publication. They won the state award for their exemplary work and the sheer determination of the small staff. Crown Point High School is in the third division in the state, which happens to be the biggest. Most schools fall into the third division, making winning the award that much harder.
On January 25 and 26, the Crown Point High School media students attended a journalism conference held by the IHSPA. The IHSPA is an organization that helps provide resources for high school publications such as newspapers, websites, and yearbooks. This organization hosts the state journalism conference each year to help give students opportunities to hear keynote speakers and advisers of other media programs from all over the state of Indiana. Students attend classes based on interests in their media assignments. This year, the keynote speaker was famous ABC and NBC broadcaster Carole Simpson who was moderated by popular investigative journalist Linsey Davis.
Within this conference, the IHSPA gives out awards to different publications that exemplify hard work and determination. The Hoosier Star Award showcases the best in the state.
“I enjoy the fact that the staff can come up with new, great ideas and contribute to an amazing publication filled with creativity and knowledge.”
— Junior Katie Mahle
Inklings adviser Jennifer Bianchi was thrilled to learn about the award.
“I was overwhelmed and excited by the news,” Bianchi said. “I was handed the newspaper and had huge shoes to fill with the last adviser because they won the Hoosier Star Award multiple times in the past. It was one of the best compliments that I could have received after only the first year doing this, and especially with having such a small staff last year.”
Junior Katie Mahle was part of the Inklings staff last year and worked on all three of the publications. Mahle appreciates the imagination and creativity that comes with being on staff.
“I enjoy the fact that the staff can come up with new, great ideas and contribute to an amazing publication filled with creativity and knowledge,” Mahle said.
Winning the Hoosier Star Award takes a lot of creativity and collaboration, which Inklings showed that year. Their hard work led them to win this big award yet again.
