LHS wins title of Best in Show at journalism workshop

Staff members of Libby High School's school newspaper, the Tamarack, made quite a showing during a journalism workshop held at North Idaho College recently.

The Tamarack recently won a "Best of Show" award at the workshop, competing with approximately 14 other schools from around the region.

This was the first year Tamarack staff have attended the workshop, which took place on Oct. 30 at the NIC campus in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Libby High School students have been invited to attend the workshop in the past, but this year's workshop was "during a time when it was good for our schedule," said Tamarack adviser Sarah Barrick.

Seven of the 21 student staff members attended the workshop. Several of the other students had jobs and practice for various extracurricular activities and were unable to attend, Barrick explained.

"Anybody who wanted to go could go," Barrick said.

The students: Sebastian Petzing, Hunter Sheffield, Anna Valentine, Katie Curtiss, Stephanie Parsons, Zach Schikora and Levi Edwards-Myslicki; Barrick and Kathy Sheffield made the trek to Coeur d'Alene. The students paid for the fuel and food for the trip out of the Tamarack advertising out of the Tamarack advertising budget, with Barrick driving one vehicle with students and Mrs. Sheffield driving an additional vehicle with students.

Upon arrival at the workshop, students were able to attend three sessions of classes pertaining to the journalism profession. There were four different options within each session, including: design, social networking, blogging, advertising, sports writing, photography, interviewing, among numerous other options. The LHS students split up so that there would be representative from LHS in each section of the workshop. The students could then come back and share what they learned with the other student staff members.

"I learned lots of helpful things," said Sebastian Petzing. "It was a very enlightening experience. We learned how to do opinion writing and what to ask."

The students were given the chance to meet and learn from reporters and editors from such papers as The Spokesman Review and the Coeur d'Alene Press. They also met with the Kootenai County Sheriff's Department to discuss the relationship between media and law enforcement.

"They got to see how to put it into action," Barrick said. "It was interesting to learn about the career and they learned what they could do with a journalism degree. It's more than just writing a story. They're learning marketable skills and they're learning how to deal with people."

Several schools were in attendance ranging from small schools with 50 students and two people on the paper staff up to a school with 2,000 students and 25 student staff members, Barrick explained. Each school submitted their paper for the contest for the best student paper.

Katie Curtiss, a Tamarack staff member, knew they were going to win the "Best in Show" award, Barrick, conceded.

"She said, 'I hope we win,' and I said, 'Oh, don't get your hopes up, there are a lot of big schools here,' but she just had a feeling we'd win," Barrick said.

The Tamarack won for the overall quality of the newspaper. Included in the consideration of the award was on the size of the school how often the paper comes out, Barrick explained. The Tamarack is a monthly publication and the next issue will be distributed on Dec. 14. It's located at the courtesy booth at Rosauers and at The Western News.

"We really appreciate the businesses supporting us or we wouldn't have been able to go [to the workshop]," Barrick said.

Tamarack staff would like to attend the workshops in the future and learn more about the craft. Barrick said she has already noticed an improvement in their writing since the experience.

"I really didn't think we would win," Petzing admitted. "I was very surprised and glad we won."