Gunn High School’s Oracle newspaper staff

Henry M. Gunn High School in Palo Alto took top honors at the San Francisco Peninsula Press Club’s 2014 High School Journalism Awards which were presented Thursday afternoon (May 22) at the San Mateo County History Museum in Redwood City.

Gunn’s newspaper, The Oracle, was recognized as the first-place winner in the General Excellence category. The paper’s editor and advisor will be honored at the Press Club’s Evening of Excellence May 31 at the Crowne Plaza in Foster City.

In all, 13 Peninsula high schools participated in the competition, each with a first place plaque, second, third place and honorable mention certificates. The competition drew 563 entries in 12 categories from 255 students. 40 individuals received awards.

The contest was judged by professional journalists who are members of the Press Club and is co-sponsored by the Hillsdale Shopping Center, San Mateo.

Here is a complete list of the winning entries:

News Story

• First: Corine Forward, “Gunshots rattle school into lockdown,” The Eastside Panther,
Eastside College Preparatory School, East Palo Alto 

• Second: Amanda Russell, “Thieves wheel away bikes, then roll out of sight,” The Eastside Panther, Eastside College Preparatory School, East Palo Alto 

• Third: John Pablo, “Scurrying pests cause worrisome mess,” Tom-Tom, Jefferson High School,
Daly City

Feature Story

• First: Lily Hartzell, “Coping with the challenges of homelessness gives student strength,”
Raven Report, Sequoia High School, Redwood City 

• Second: Shana Vu, Sophia Kakarala, “Teen Sexuality – The Double Standard,” The Roar,
Santa Clara High School, Santa Clara
• Third: Arianna Bayangos, “Bullying on social media,” The Highlander, Carlmont High School, Belmont 

• Honorable Mention: Regina Wen, “Teacher-Student-Mom,” The Aragon Outlook,
Aragon High School, San Mateo 

• Honorable Mention: Sabrina Leung, “Flushing out gender separation,” The Highlander,
Carlmont High School, Belmont 

• Honorable Mention: Madison Riehle, “Teens feel pressure to be ‘perfect’,” The Broad View,
Convent of the Sacred Heart, San Francisco 

 • Honorable Mention: Lucas Furrer, “The wacky world…,” Serra Friar, Junipero Serra High School, San Mateo

Sports Story

• First: Max Herrera, “Dons power their way past Woodside 27-12,” The Aragon Outlook,
Aragon High School, San Mateo 

• Second: Spencer Walling, Isaac Wang, “Examine your head: Concussions in high school sports,”
The Aragon Outlook, Aragon High School, San Mateo 

• Third: Daniel Wang, “A day in the life of an athlete,” The Highlander, Carlmont High School, Belmont

Editorial

• First: Outlook Editorial Staff, “Grades are private; Students should be aware of with whom they are shared,” The Aragon Outlook, Aragon High School, San Mateo 

• Second: Corine Forward, “Panther Editorial-Words of wisdom for freshment,” The Eastside Panther, Eastside College Preparatory School, East Palo Alto 

• Third: Dalia Jude, “Don’t cower from reality: Intruder drill needs improvement,” Raven Report, Sequoia High School, Redwood City

Column

• First: Jessica Adair, “Columns by Jessica Adair,” The Highlander, Carlmont High School, Belmont 

• Second: Dominic Gialdini, “Columns by Dominic Gialdini,” The Highlander, Carlmont High School, Belmont 

• Third: Dana Ysabel Dela Cruz, “Column by Dana Ysabel Dela Cruz,” The Thunderbolt,
Mills High School, Millbrae

News Photo

• First: Alex Wildman, “Choir defends title as Carlmont Cup Champions,” The Highlander,
Carlmont High School, Belmont 

• Second: Cristina Ashbaugh, “Video Production Club begins airing sports games online,”
The Aragon Outlook, Aragon High School, San Mateo 

• Third: Miguel Cardenas, “Beshirs hears cheers for shears,” Tom-Tom, Jefferson High School,
Daly City

Feature Photo

• First: Grace Yi, “Senior ballerina Jenn Stewart solos in the “Inspire” dance show.,” The Highlander, Carlmont High School, Belmont 

• Second: Lucy McGarr, Elizabeth Daskalakis, “Little Big Game Rally,” The Burlingame Bee, Burlingame High School, Burlingame
• Third: Stephanie Kim, “Behind the scenes: construction,” The Oracle, Henry M. Gunn, Palo Alto

Sports Photo

• First: Breana Picchi, “Tyler Mucci, 12, Flys Into Action,” The Bear Cat, San Mateo High School,
San Mateo 

• Second: Maddy Jones, “Sophomore forward Nika Woodfill controls the ball.,” The Paly Voice,
Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto 

• Third: Scott Liu, “Dons vs. Knights in last basketball game of season,” The Aragon Outlook,
Aragon High School, San Mateo

Layout and Design

• First: Oracle Staff, The Oracle, Henry M. Gunn, Palo Alto 

• Second: Panther Staff, The Eastside Panther, Eastside College Preparatory School, East Palo Alto 

• Third: Highlander Staff, The Highlander, Carlmont High School, Belmont

Web Site Design

• First: Paly Voice Staff, “http://palyvoice.com,” The Paly Voice, Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto 

• Second: Gareth George, Angela Zhang, “www.thebearcat.net,” The Bear Cat, San Mateo High School, San Mateo 

• Third: Nathan Chau, “Mills Thunderbolt Website,” The Thunderbolt, Mills High School, Millbrae

Web Site Content

• First: Paly Voice Staff, “http://palyvoice.com,” The Paly Voice, Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto 

• Second: Serina Hersey, Julia Li, Nathan Chau, Dana Ysabel Dela Cruz, Jason Chun, Luisa Simpao, Jacob Ng, “Mills Thunderbolt Website,” The Thunderbolt, Mills High School, Millbrae 

• Third: Sarah Klieves, Shira Stein, Scoop Staff, Scot Scoop News Carlmont High School, Belmont

General Excellence

• First: Oracle Staff, The Oracle, Henry M. Gunn, Palo Alto 

• Second: Verde Staff, Verde Magazine, Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto 

• Third: Highlander Staff, The Highlander, Carlmont High School, Belmont