Kirkwood High School Journalism Students Earn Regional and National Recognition

Students in the journalism program at Kirkwood High School have earned numerous regional and national honors over the past several months, highlighting excellence in writing, photography, design, and multimedia storytelling across both the 2024–25 and 2025–26 school years.

The awards recognize student work published through The Kirkwood Call and the Pioneer yearbook and were presented through several prestigious journalism organizations, including the National Federation of Press Women, Quill and Scroll, Columbia Scholastic Press Association and the Missouri Interscholastic Journalism Association.

National Federation of Press Women High School Communications Contest

KHS students earned the following honors in the National Federation of Press Women High School Communications At-Large Contest:

• Arianna Dunavant (11) and Kiley Huang (12) — Second Place, Single-Page Layout for TKC Issue 2 Cover (The Spooky Issue)
• Leelani Miller (12) — Third Place, Graphics/Photo Illustration for The Hard R
• Sanchan Khanuja (12) — Honorable Mention, Columns/Blogs for A Step-by-Step Guide to Dying Alone
• Frances Igney (11) — Honorable Mention, Feature Story for Empowerment, Inclusion and Education
• Kiley Huang (12) — Honorable Mention, News Story for ICEd Out
• Kate Jensen (12) — Honorable Mention, News or Feature Photo for Student Walkout

Quill & Scroll Writing, Visual and Multimedia Contest

Winners in the Quill & Scroll contest were announced April 18 during the Journalism Education Association Spring Convention in Minneapolis.

Award recipients included:

• Kate Jensen, senior — Second Place, Breaking News Photography for ICE Protest
• Arianna Dunavant, junior, and Kiley Huang, senior — Third Place, Newsmagazine Front Page Design for Issue 2: The Spooky Issue
• Kiley Huang, senior — Honorable Mention, News Story for ICEd Out or School’s On, Cell Phones Gone
• Megan Snyder, junior — Honorable Mention, News Story for SAT Scaries
• Sheridan Ruyle, junior — Honorable Mention, Feature Story for More Than a Heart

Columbia Scholastic Press Association 2026 Gold Circle Awards

The Columbia Scholastic Press Association announced its 2026 Gold Circle Award winners on March 31. The competition included 6,060 entries from student publications nationwide, with 1,071 winners recognized.

The Kirkwood Call

• Mia Intagliata (2025 graduate) — Walking the Tightrope
  • Certificate of Merit, In-Depth News/Feature Story
  • Certificate of Merit, Sidebar Writing
  • Third Place, News Page Design
• Grace Volz (2025 graduate) — Second Place, Sidebar Writing for Blocking Our Education
• Madeleine Krewet and Claire Schlarman (2025 graduates) — Second Place, Op-Ed/News Analysis Page Design for A House Divided
• Mackenzie Harris (senior) and Paige Priesmeyer (senior) — Third Place, Cultural Feature for A Guide to “Cool Girl” Literature
• Owen McKie (senior) and Daphne Wassel (junior) — Certificate of Merit, Cultural Feature for 2025: The Year of Revivals

Pioneer Yearbook

• Sonya Lang, Evelin Thalacker and Carter Schwent (2025 graduates) — Second Place, Opening and Closing Spread Design

MIJA J-Day Awards 2026

KHS journalism students were also recognized at the Missouri Interscholastic Journalism Association’s J-Day, the state scholastic journalism convention held March 25 at the University of Missouri.

Staff Honors

• The Kirkwood Call Staff — All Missouri, Overall Online Newsmagazine
• Pioneer Staff — Superior, Overall Yearbook

Individual Honors

All Missouri

• Kiley Huang (12) — News Story: School’s On, Cell Phones Gone
• Kate Jensen (12) — Sports Action Photo: Hanging on for Life
• Ibraheem Khan (11) — Sports Writing: Bells, Blitz and Eberhard
• Mallory Wirth and Hannah Nepple (11) — Non-Traditional Design: July Monthly

Superior

• Kate Jensen (12) — Yearbook Sports Spread Design: Fall Sports Divider
• Issaline Tiburzi (12) — Sports Feature/Reaction Photo: All Out

Excellent

• Ella Campbell (10) — Feature Story: Resurrecting the St. Louis Fashion Industry
• Addison Kalkbrenner-Hicks (11) — Yearbook Sports Writing: Aqua Man
• Clare Philipp (11) — Sports Feature/Reaction Photo: Red, White and School Spirit

Honorable Mention

• Natalie Dale, Kate Jensen, Addy Mohler and Carly Smith (12) — Overall Theme/Concept: Same Old Kirkwood… But It’s Not
• Olive Donaldson (10) — Feature Story: The Stars Behind the Shelves
• Arianna Dunavant and Kiley Huang — Newsmagazine Cover Design for The Spooky Issue
• Maggie Laciny (12) — Sports Action Photo: Just Keep Swimming
• Fallon Pettit (12) — Yearbook Feature Writing: AI in Full Force
• Fallon Pettit (12) — Yearbook Sports Writing: Statzel’s Season

MIJA Honor Roll Recognition

Several seniors were also named to the 2026 MIJA Honor Roll, which recognizes students for long-term dedication to scholastic journalism and high academic achievement.

Honorees included:

• Amelia Baumgartner
• Maggie Brinkman
• Luciana Cortright
• Madelyn Fogle
• Audrey Hans
• Kiley Huang
• Sanchan Khanuja
• Abby Schuler

“These honors reflect the creativity, dedication and professionalism of our student journalists,” said Katie Meyers, KHS journalism teacher. “Their work continues to represent the strong tradition of scholastic journalism at Kirkwood High School.”