Former Visuals Coordinator Lucas Donnelly, Class of 2023 OMG alumnus, Editor-In-Chief Molly Harwell, a senior, and Managing Editor Maya Clement, a senior (left to right) pose with the National Scholastic Press Association’s All-American award. Harwell, who was also Editor-In-Chief as a junior, admired the efforts of the 2022-23 staff. “I am so immensely proud of our staff from last year. They all worked so hard and to earn this award makes all of it worth it,” Harwell said. “We have some things to improve on for the upcoming year, but I am so grateful that we were awarded with such a high honor.” Photo by Liza Larson
After previously placing sixth in the National Scholastic Press Association Clicks & Clips Sweepstakes, the ODYSSEY places fourth in the nation en route to earning All-American honors.
The National Scholastic Press Association recognized the 2022-2023 ODYSSEY Media Group staff for its coverage by naming the publication an All-American in a critique on Aug. 7 and for reaching fourth place in the national Clips & Clicks Sweepstakes on July 7.
The OMG produced four Newsmagazines during the 2022-23 school year along with digital-exclusive content on its website. Content created from Dec. 8, 2022, to May 1 from the OMG was submitted among 892 entries for consideration in the sweepstakes. The judges included student media advisers, collegiate professors, and professional journalists.
“The judges consistently said they were very impressed with the quality of the entries submitted,” Associate Director Gary Lundgren said.
Overall, 124 entries, roughly 14 percent of all submissions, were recognized. The number of winners per category was decided by the judges based on the quality and amount of entries. In order to calculate the Sweepstakes, first place winners gain 10 points, with each subsequent place decreasing by one point – honorable mentions are worth 5 points.
The OMG, which placed sixth in the fall Clips & Clicks Sweepstakes with 40 points, surged in the spring by amassing 83 additional points with13 commendations, which saw the publication end the year in fourth place out of 52 media outlets to earn any points.
Members of the 2022-2023 ODYSSEY Media Group staff stand for the annual staff portrait outside the CCHS Ceremonial Entrance in March. The staff was commended by the National Scholastic Press Association for award-winning content on July 7, hosting an in-house celebration on Aug. 11. “Seeing the joy on everyone’s faces when the NSPA Clips and Clicks awards were announced made it so special,” ODYSSEY Newsmagazine Editor-in-Chief Molly Harwell said. “When one of us wins, we all win, and I couldn’t have won first place for my design without the help of my whole team.” Photo from ODYSSEY Media Group archives
“Regardless of any personal awards we won, to be recognized as the fourth best student publication in the country is a huge accomplishment,” Lead Copy Editor Wyatt Meyer, a junior, said. “Everyone in the room contributes to a piece being published, so to see us as a whole be recognized just proves how hard we worked as a staff.”
Earlier this month, NSPA released its critique of the ODYSSEY, which was deemed All-American and received marks of distinction for Coverage & Content, Visuals and Presentation. Judge Lisa Renze-Rhodes offered constructive criticism in her critique and went on to praise the publication for tackling sensitive campus issues.
“There is much to applaud about this magazine – the staff seems engaged and committed to their work, and that should be celebrated. It was also so nice to see some topics that seemed especially appropriate for this school and this audience addressed – the bathroom issue was one that seemed like a great one to try to tackle,” Renze-Rhodes stated in the critique. “Kudos (to the staff) for being mindful of what your audience will be talking about.”
“There is much to applaud about this magazine – the staff seems engaged and committed to their work, and that should be celebrated. It was also so nice to see some topics that seemed especially appropriate for this school and this audience addressed – the bathroom issue was one that seemed like a great one to try to tackle. Kudos (to the staff) for being mindful of what your audience will be talking about.”
— Lisa Renze-Rhodes,
NSPA Judge
According to ODYSSEY Newsmagazine Editor-in-Chief Molly Harwell, who served as only the third junior EIC of the magazine in its 20-year history, the critique provides opportunities for growth for the 2023-2024 staff.
“I am so immensely proud of our staff from last year. They all worked so hard and to earn this award makes all of it worth it,” Harwell said. “We have some things to improve on for the upcoming year, but I am so grateful that we were awarded with such a high honor.”
For OMG adviser David Ragsdale, the evaluation and recognition in the sweepstakes are positive affirmations.
“Last year’s staff was young and it showed initially. However, Ms. Harwell espoused a growth mindset for the staffers to do their best work and it’s pretty rewarding to see that work commended on a national scale. I’d expect nothing less from our crew or our EIC,” Ragsdale said.
Spring Clips & Click individual winners:
Design, Newspaper/Newsmagazine Page/Spread, 1st place: Molly Harwell for “Living the American Dream”
Writing, News Story, 1st place: Riley Ramsey and Nico Willman for “Nowhere to go”
Writing, News Story, 2nd place: Nico Willman for “Nowhere to go, Number 2”
Design, Newspaper/Newsmagazine Page/Spread, 4th place: Molly Harwell for “Nowhere to go, number 2”
Photography, Sports, 5th place: Lucas Donnelly for “Making baskets”
Writing, Opinion, 5th place: Antonio Starks for “Eat School Lunch”
Writing, Feature Story, Honorable Mention: Miles Lawrence for “Living the American Dream”
Photography, Feature, Honorable Mention: Aza Khan for “Soprano singing”
Writing, Feature Story, Honorable Mention: Isabella Westrich for “Breaking Barriers”
Writing, Sports Story, Honorable Mention: Wyatt Meyer for “Old school, new school”
Writing, Sports Story, Honorable Mention: Wyatt Meyer for “Basketball Senior Night 2023”
Design, Newspaper/Newsmagazine Page/Spread, Honorable Mention: Wyatt Meyer for “Who is Dr. Robbie P. Hooker”
Design, Newspaper/Newsmagazine Page/Spread, Honorable Mention: Molly Harwell and Wyatt Meyer for “Nowhere to go”
