Photograph by Leigh Ann Maze

Staff from the award winning 'El Gato' include (back row from left) Max Morse, art director, and Garret Winkleman, senior sports editor, and (front row from left) Sara Clark, editor-in-chief, and Gina Strayer, people editor.

Student journalists return
from trip with high marks

By Leigh Ann Maze

Staff members on the Los Gatos High School student newspaper, El Gato, and adviser Jeff Mount had a hunch they were producing outstanding journalism.

Confirmation came in late October in the form of a top-ranking award from the National Scholastic Press Association. The NSPA is an organization that helps students and teachers improve their school publications.

"They're flying high right now," Mount said of the 33 El Gato staff members. The young journalists returned from Atlanta on Nov. 21 after participating in the National High School Journalism Convention over the weekend.

"It inspired us to produce a better newspaper," said associate sports editor Heather Cisowski, who has twice attended the Atlanta convention and is considering a career in journalism.

The NSPA honored the monthly student paper at the highest of four possible levels: All American. El Gato received four out of five possible marks of distinction in content, writing and editing, layout and design, and campus leadership.

"We're not in journalism to win awards," said Garret Winkleman, El Gato's senior sports editor. "But the award gives us a sense of gratification that we are actually really good at what we're doing."

Winkleman's colleagues echoed his appreciation for the national recognition of their hard work.

Mount, Los Gatos High School's journalism teacher for the past six years, earlier this year submitted all of last year's El Gato issues to the NSPA to be considered for the award. It's the first time in El Gato's 87-year history anyone has applied for the award, Mount said. About half of the current staff members contributed to last year's award-winning issues. "Last year was a wonderful year," Mount said, noting that El Gato released its first color issue and a special edition on the reassignment of the school's assistant principal (which led to a student walkout, picketing parents and other forms of protest).

With the thrill of their award still fresh, many El Gato staff members met with more than 4,200 other high-school journalism students in Atlanta and participated in journalism workshops together. "There were thousands of other students there who were enthusiastic about the same things we are," said Rachel Sax, center editor.

In their free time, the El Gato staff toured the Martin Luther King National Historic Site and CNN's headquarters.

"I was really inspired by the whole journalism experience," people editor Gina Strayer said of the CNN tour and the Atlanta conference.

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