ODYSSEY Newsmagazine Editor-in-Chief Molly Harwell, a Clarke Central High School senior displays the “Best Story” award her group earned during the Team On-Site Production competition at the Southern Interscholastic Press Association convention in Columbia, South Carolina on March 3. The Georgia Scholastic Press Association named Harwell Georgia’s Champion Journalist and she will have the opportunity to compete for the national Journalist of the Year Competition. “It’s clear to me that Molly put a lot of work into her career and she documented immense growth during the last four years in her portfolio,” ODYSSEY Media Group adviser David Ragsdale said. “I’ve evaluated JOTY for other states, as well as at the national level, through the years and I’ve seldom seen a portfolio that showcases the level of depth that Molly has. I hope her work will inspire OMG colleagues for years to come.”
Clarke Central High School students Molly Harwell and Wyatt Meyer were named top of their classes in the state of Georgia as scholastic journalists.
Clarke Central High School senior Molly Harwell, ODYSSEY Newsmagazine’s Editor-in-Chief for the past two years, has been named the 2024 Georgia Champion Journalist of the Year by the Georgia Scholastic Press Association and the Journalism Education Association on March 7. The award recognizes the top high school senior journalist in the state.
The winners were selected from a highly competitive group of 12 senior candidates, each with portfolios filled with journalism accolades and academic success. Portfolios were scored in the following categories: Reporting and Writing; Editing, Leadership and Team Building; Web and Social Media; Design; Broadcast Journalism; Photojournalism; Law, Ethics and News Literacy; Marketing and Audience Engagement; and Commitment to Diversity.
Clarke Central High School senior and ODYSSEY Newsmagazine Editor-in-Chief Molly Harwell presents a list of accolades won by photographer J. Grant Brittain during his visit to the CCHS library on Sept. 28, 2023. Harwell hosted the event with her colleague, iliad Literary Art Magazine Editor-in-Chief Olivia Hendershot, helping to introduce Brittain and the two led a Q&A with him following his presentation. “I really enjoyed getting to speak with Mr. Brittain,” Harwell said. “It was really interesting to hear his perspective on photography and the world around him, and it was an honor to get to co-host this event.” Photo by Aza Khan
Harwell joined the ODYSSEY staff during her freshman year, which was held virtually for the first six months of school.
“I initially joined the course because of my love for writing, but after just a few short weeks of being involved, ODYSSEY became so much more than a class – it became part of my identity,” Harwell wrote in her personal narrative for the competition. “Even meeting with my new classmates over Zoom, I was enthralled at the idea of being a student journalist who contributed to this well-respected publication.”
Harwell’s adviser, David Ragsdale was effusive with his praise for the two-time EIC and of her maturation during her tenure on staff.
“A clear sign of growth was her willingness to interrogate a new district ‘policy’ on media relations. Molly, along with her Co-EIC Anna Shaikun, met with me, district leaders and members of the Cedar Shoals High School BluePrints staff and adviser Marc Ginsberg to navigate the intricacies of the mandate,” Ragsdale said. “Having consulted the Student Press Law Center in advance of the meeting, Molly came ready to engage in a solutions-oriented dialogue. It was soon clear to the adults in the room that the kids knew their stuff and as a result, Molly has worked collaboratively with the CCSD Media Relations Office to solicit job descriptions on district leaders, to seek clarity on school policies, data on enrollment and has interviewed BOE members, as well as associate superintendents.”
Harwell’s tenure as EIC has required a growth mindset and after some pitfalls, she rebounded with a new sense of direction and a clearer vision for herself and the program.
“Over time, and after one especially bad breakdown, I realized that delegating my tasks and asking to take on help wasn’t a weakness, but rather a strength and a true showing of trust and support,” Harwell continued in her essay. “Since then, I have worked to not only delegate and prioritize my own work, but also assist in doing the same for my staff. Before assigning tasks, I check to make sure it’s something they can handle and achieve, and ensure that they now they can come to me with any questions or concerns.”
Harwell is the latest in a long line of ODYSSEY students to earn the designation of Georgia Champion Journalist. She follows Isabel Bryan Barks (2009), Kinsey Clark (2011), Carlo Nasisse (2012), Jenny Alpaugh (2014), Tiernan O’Neill (2016), Sophie Fernandes (2017), Lucia Bermudez (2018), Elena Gilbertson Hall (2020) and Owen Donnelly (2021). Harwell will receive a plaque and a $1000 prize. She also advances to represent the state in the Journalism Education Association’s National Journalist of the Year competition.
“I initially joined the course because of my love for writing, but after just a few short weeks of being involved, ODYSSEY became so much more than a class – it became part of my identity.”
— Molly Harwell, ODYSSEY Editor in-Chief
In addition to the senior-level Georgia Champion Journalist of the Year contest, GSPA honors the top high school junior journalist in the state. Wyatt Meyer, Lead Copy Editor for the ODYSSEY Media Group was selected as the Georgia Junior Champion Journalist winner. There were nine entries in the junior division.
ODYSSEY Media Group Lead Copy Editor Wyatt Meyer presents “How to Play a Great Game: Coverage” with Photography Editor Aza Khan at the Georgia Scholastic Press Association 2023 Fall Conference on Oct. 24, 2023. In his time as a student and editor with the ODYSSEY, Clarke Central High School’s student news publication, Meyer has produced award-winning articles, designs, and profiles to inform, educate and entertain the CCHS and Athens communities. “If you asked me in ninth grade why I was a journalist for the ODYSSEY, I would’ve told you it was rewarding. If you’d asked me in tenth grade, I would’ve told you I stayed for the writing. If you asked me now, I’d tell you it was because of the community the program has created. It’s not one, but all of these reasons that makes me hold ODYSSEY – and by extension my journalism career – close to my heart,” Lead Copy Editor Wyatt Meyer wrote. Photo courtesy of GSPA
Like Harwell, Meyer joined the program as a freshman and is cognizant of the growth he’s undergone while on staff.
“If you asked me in ninth grade why I was a journalist for the ODYSSEY, I would’ve told you it was rewarding. If you’d asked me in tenth grade, I would’ve told you I stayed for the writing. If you asked me now, I’d tell you it was because of the community the program has created. It’s not one, but all of these reasons that makes me hold ODYSSEY – and by extension my journalism career – close to my heart,” Lead Copy Editor Wyatt Meyer wrote in his personal narrative.
Ragsdale has worked with Myer on various projects, many of which have come with obstacles, during the last three years and has seen Meyer’s value to the program grow over time.
“Despite the challenges, he’s continued to contribute to our program from top to bottom by providing excellent coverage of our school, designing a new look for our social media posts, and editing our staff handbook,” Ragsdale said. “Additionally, to take pressure off of his older peers on the Leadership Team, he created our spring production calendar, handles much of the communication with staff members and mentors younger staffers.”
“If you asked me in ninth grade why I was a journalist for the ODYSSEY, I would’ve told you it was rewarding. If you’d asked me in tenth grade, I would’ve told you I stayed for the writing. If you asked me now, I’d tell you it was because of the community the program has created. It’s not one, but all of these reasons that make me hold ODYSSEY – and by extension my journalism career – close to my heart.”
— Wyatt Meyer, Lead Copy Editor
Meyer will receive a plaque and a $750 prize and is the latest CCHS junior to earn the designation of Junior Champion Journalist, following Clark (2010), Alpaugh (2013), Aaron Holmes (2014), O’Neill (2015), Fernandes (2016), Johanna Hall (2017), Ana Aldridge (2018), Gilbertson Hall (2019), Donnelly (2020), Audrey Layne Enghauser (2021) and Maya Clement (2023).
