By Karly Monson

The Atlantic High School journalism department hosted a new and improved journalism banquet during Scholastic Journalism Week on Wednesday, Feb. 19 from 5 – 6 p.m. in the Atlantic High School media center. Journalism production and editing students were invited, along with parents, officials of the school, and supporters of the journalism department from the community, to be honored with a variety of awards.

Upon arriving, guests were greeted by journalism students mingling in the media center and were directed to the refreshment table, which held cupcakes catered by Wild Almonds Cake and Pastry, an orange sherbert ice cream punch, and an assortment of nuts. Senior spotlight editor Benton Maas also entertained guests by playing the piano during the greeting period.

Business editor Maren McNees gave a warm welcome to all the guests at the banquet, and then asked everyone to rise for the national anthem, sung by AHSNeedle editor Sierra Smith and Eye of the Needle editor Hannah Jespersen. Jespersen said she felt honored that Mrs. Berryhill asked Sierra and her to sing.

Atlantic High School journalism adviser Allison Berryhill then used a Prezi set to music to introduce guests the purpose of journalism and to highlight what the department does and covers. Senior and journalism production student Lauren Krogman thought it was nicely set up and well organized.

ACKNOWLEDGING STUDENTS

Berryhill next shared a powerpoint mentioning the 29 journalism production students, saying a few words about them, and showing some of the work she felt they shone in. Some of the pieces included a 1-Question-25 Answers video, an Eye of the Needle video, and various school news and sports stories. Each journalism production student was presented a certificate acknowledging their involvement in the journalism department.

The 18 senior editors were next in line for recognition. They were introduced by a powerpoint prepared by photo editor Hailey Waters showing a baby picture of the student and a present day picture. Berryhill announced each editor’s position and talked about what they have contributed to the department.
The top honor for AHS journalism students is membership in the Quill and Scroll International Honorary Society for High School. To achieve this honor, editors must be in the top third in their senior class and have contributed superior work to journalism or school media. The 2014 Quill & Scroll inductees were Lisa Gearheart, Kristin Johnk, Breanna Kixmiller, Maren McNees, Emily Mitchell, Meghan Plambeck, Sierra Smith, Monica Witzman, and Lillie Zablocki. These editors were given a certificate, a pin, and a blue and gold cord to wear with their graduation robes to indicate their achievement in journalism.

THANKING JOURNALISM SUPPORTERS

A special part of the journalism banquet was inviting supporters of the journalism department to attend the banquet accept certificates of thanks. AHSNeedle editors Meghan Plambeck, Sierra Smith, and Lillie Zablocki thanked Atlantic News Telegraph top editor Jeff Lundquist and KSOM radio announcer Bennett Blake, who had been on the AHSNeedle staff in 2005-06, for their support of AHSNeedle. Radio station KJAN was also thanked.
Yearbook editors Gearheart, Johnk and Kixmiller introduced Jostens yearbook representative Colleen Arneson. They thanked her for all the time and help she puts in when putting together the Atlantic High School yearbook, the Javelin.

Berryhill also thanked Atlantic High School principal Heather McKay, athletic director Matt Alexander, and superintendent Dr. Mike Amstein as “friends of student journalism” for recognizing the importance of a strong student journalism presence and supporting the students by taking time out of their day to allow journalists to interview them for stories.

Kixmiller thanked the Atlantic Booster Club for their generous support and donations to the department. President Crystal Christensen, vice president Sheila Svobada, secretary Val Gifford, and treasurer Kelly Monson accepted the certificate for the Booster Club.
Eye of the Needle editors Jespersen and Witzman thanked the Atlantic Community School District Foundation president Dr. Kirk Nelson for the grant they received to buy new programming and equipment for the school newscast.

MONSANTO GIFT

The evening culminated in a $2500 gift to the journalism department from Monsanto representative Ted Wallace. The Monsanto Fund sponsors the America’s Farmers Grow CommunitiesSM, which is to support local farming communities and engages farmers in entering to win a $2,500 donation for their favorite community non-profit organization. Steph Witzman, mother of Eye of the Needle editor Monica Witzman, won this year’s award and donated the money to the Atlantic High School journalism department. After presenting the award, Wallace and Steph Witzman were thanked for the generous donation.

Inviting community supporters to the journalism banquet made it unique, and many of the guests liked this idea. McKay said, “My favorite part of the banquet was the fact that we had one, and everyone was being honored and recognized. I felt like it was a great start to giving some positive recognition to the department. I really appreciated that there were lots of different organizations invited and acknowledged. There were so many positives.” Junior and journalism production student Kate Fulk agreed with McKay, and also thought it gave the public a better look on what the department does and think it made it look like a strong program.

New Quill & Scroll members Sierra Smith and Meghan Plambeck thank Jeff Lundquist, publisher of the Atlantic News Telegraph for his support of student journalism. AHS students have the opportunity to write for Lundquist’s publication.