Both of Carmel High School’s print publications, the HiLite newspaper and Pinnacle yearbook, earned Hoosier Star awards in the large-school division at the Indiana High School Press Association (IHSPA) convention at Franklin College Oct. 22-23. The Hoosier Star, comparable to a State Championship in athletics, is Indiana’s highest award in scholastic journalism. Additionally, current or former Carmel High student journalists won several individual honors.

The Pinnacle was the only publication to win in the yearbook division while the HiLite was one of only three high school newspapers to win a large-school Hoosier Star Award from the press association. By school enrollment in three divisions, the press association names the best newspapers and yearbooks each year. Carmel High School’s paper joined Lawrence Central and Lawrence North as 2009 Hoosier Star Award winners in schools with enrollment of 2,000 or greater.

This marks the sixth time in the last eight years that the HiLite has been named a Hoosier Star recipient.

During the convention, Harvey Awards were also presented for individual student work. Carmel High student journalists who currently are on the newspaper or yearbook staffs, as well as recent graduates who worked on the publications, were eligible for the awards, which are named for the press association’s first president.

Individual Harvey Award Winners included:

Advertising – Bennett Fuson (Indiana University), Matt Kanitra (Purdue University) and Beth Brookie (Purdue University
Page Design – Michelle Hu and Tim Chai
Sports Photo – Nick Johnson
Spot News Photo – Michelle Hu
Communication Graphics – HiLite staff
Civic Journalism – HiLite staff

In addition to the Harvey Awards for first place, Carmel students also placed in several categories. They are as follows:

HiLite
Second place:
Tim Chai – Column writing
Maggie Brandenburg – Sports writing
HiLite staff – Maestro package
Michelle Hu – Newspaper photo portfolio

Third place:
Ellie Seta – Feature writing
Lauren Burdick – News writing
HiLite staff – Editorial writing

Pinnacle
Second place:
Kati Feller – Yearbook photo portfolio

Third Place:
Tyler Zipes – Feature writing

Honorable Mention:
Pinnacle staff – Overall theme

The complete list of winners should soon be available online here.

In addition to the staff awards, yearbook adviser Nicole Wilson was also elected secretary of the IHSPA board. Wilson served as an at-large member this past year, and her position as secretary now puts her on track to be the board president for the 2011-12 school year.

This story has been updated to include additional awards.