SANDPOINT — Local journalism students brought home the gold from the National Scholastic Press Association Convention, which took place in Los Angeles April 14-17. Sandpoint High School senior Sarah Wells, first semester news editor and yearlong photo editor, received the Idaho Student Journalist of the Year award.

"We took 15 students this year — 14 from the Cedar Post staff and one from the Monticola (yearbook). We travel to this convention every year. The convention is in a different West Coast city each year, so we have traveled to Portland, Anaheim, Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego, Denver and Los Angeles since I have been the adviser," said William Love, Cedar Post adviser.

SHS's Cedar Post newspaper received one of 10 prestigious Best of Show awards at the association’s Spring National High School Journalism Convention in Los Angeles for newspaper broadsheets of 16 pages or less, according to NSPA results.

Several individual students from SHS brought home Journalism Education Awards from the Write-off contests. One student per school per category is allowed to enter, according to JEA.

General categories include writing, editing, layout, press laws and ethics, graphic design, broadcast news and photography. Of 1,268 participants, JEA recognized 475 with awards ranging from superiors to honorable mentions.

"We had students do writing, design, photography and broadcast. The writing contests happen on site, so the students usually interview a couple of sources on a topical issue and have about an hour to write the story. The other students complete their contests a couple of weeks before the convention and then participate in a critique on site," Love said.

Cedar Post Social Media Editor Kelly Curtis, senior, took an excellent for feature writing while Editor-in-Chief Cooper King, senior, earned an excellent for newspaper layout. SHS seniors Oakley Pettit, sports editor, Caroline Suppinger, lifestyle editor, and Graphics Editor Megan Murray received honorable mentions for sports writing, literary magazine layout and graphic design, respectively. Senior Logan Finney took an honorable mention for video package editing, and Ben Bristow, also a senior, culled an honorable mention for yearbook layout.