The Eastside Panther, the student newspaper at Eastside College Preparatory School in East Palo Alto, took first-place honors in General Excellence and a total of 12 awards in the 2005-2006 High School Journalism Awards Competition.

The contest is sponsored by the Peninsula Press Club, Hillsdale Shopping Center and the journalism program at Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont. Awards were presented at a reception May 2 in Ralston Hall at NDNU and some of the winners are seen in the photo above.

Nine publications from eight high schools from San Francisco to Los Altos offered more than 200 entries from 95 students for the competition which covered April 1, 2005, through March 31, 2006. Members of the Press Club served as judges for the contest.

A certificate of excellence also was presented to the staff of the Verde News Magazine at Palo Alto High School in recognition of their work, despite their having no competition among news magazines at other local high schools. (Photo by Erik Oeverndiek.) Here’s a complete list of winners.