Students on Carmel High School’s student newspaper staff, the HiLite, earned 9 awards in the 2011 Women’s Press Club of Indiana (WPCI) High School Communications Contest, including six first place individual wins.

Senior Sara Rogers was awarded first place in opinion writing with her column arguing for the expulsion of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” military policy, with judges commending the “sound reporting” and “excellent work.” Junior Henry Zhu placed first in feature writing with his story, “Home Sweet Home” regarding military families and their soldiers’ return home. Judges applauded Zhu’s “stellar interviewing skills.” Junior Charlie Browning won first place in sports writing with his article on athletes continuing to compete despite chronic medical issues. Junior Yameen Hameed placed first in single-page layout for his “Model Student” 15 minutes of fame page, cited by the judges as “amazing” and “well composed.” In double-truck layout, junior Laura Peng also took first place with her “visually striking” center spread design for “The End of Books” story. Finally, senior Marianna Cooper was awarded first place for video news story with her investigative report on the small businesses on Main Street. Judges applauded her work as “very well-produced” and “professional-grade.”

These first-place entries will now be entered into the national competition sponsored by the National Federation of Press Women (NFPW), which will release winners over the summer. Winners will be invited to the September national convention in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Other Carmel High School award winners and their categories are as follows:

* Cartooning — Honorable mention, senior Blaine Herbst
* Sports Photo — Second place, senior Mary Brooke Johnson
* Graphics — Second place, senior Daniel Li