Staff Notes

Student journalists bring home state recognition from 2025 PSPA Finals

Students traveled to Penn State University for a day of competition, learning, and networking.

Staff • Apr 9, 2025

Fifteen Haven students attended the Pennsylvania School Press Association’s 2025 Student Journalism Competition Finals on Tuesday, April 1 at Penn State University’s main campus.

The following students qualified for state contests by placing in regional competition at Temple University in December 2024.

Kathryn Barrett ’27 [Yearbook Photography]
Evie Fernandez ’27 [Newspaper Feature Writing]
Ella Lee ’25 [Literary Magazine Artwork]
Evelynn Lin ’25 [Newspaper Feature Writing]
Noa Murley ’28 [Literary Magazine Artwork]
Joya Nath ’28 [Newspaper News Writing]
Matthew Ramirez ’26 [News Photography]
Scarlett Rein ’28 [Literary Magazine Poetry]
Roxy Shelton ’27 [Yearbook Photography]
Matteo Ventresca ’25 [Newspaper Sports Writing]

Freshmen Kenzie MacCallum, Fiona Seale and Tabitha Minton and sophomore Cali Fries also attended to participate in the day’s program of student journalism events.

In the morning, students participated in a press conference with members of the Penn State Blue Band. The afternoon featured trivia contests on journalism and pop culture, as well as a presentation on media law for student journalists by Penn State Associate Professor Dr. Amy Kristin Sanders.

Onsite writing, photography, and video contests were all based on themes at the press conference and the entire day of student journalism. Most contests were judged by Penn State and PSPA experts during the students’ lunch break. Photography and media submissions were due to PSPA by April 8 to allot students to time to edit and finish their work, and results are expected by mid-April for those contests.

The 2024 Pennsylvania Student Journalist of the Year, Ayaan Shah of Emmaus High School shared remarks about his path in journalism, and the 2024 Journalism Teacher of the Year Ms. Shelby Ramirez accepted a certificate of recognition. PSPA presented the Keystone Award, recognizing special dedication to Pennsylvania student journalism, to Emily Clevenger, Manager of Recruitment for the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications.

Strath Haven brought home the following reconition from the 2025 PSPA State Student Journalism Finals:

Gold Rating, PSPA Critiques, Newspaper—The Panther Press
Gold Rating, PSPA Critiques, Yearbook—Haven Yearbook
Gold Rating, PSPA Critiques, Online/Website—The Panther Press
Clyde F. Lytle All-State Awards, Online/Website—The Panther Press
News Feature Writing, State Champion—Evelynn Lin
News Writing, State Runner-Up—Joya Nath
Literary Magazine Poetry, Third Place—Scarlett Rein

Notably, Strath Haven is the only high school in the state to receive gold crtique rankings for three publications. This was the second year in a row that the Panther Press website received the All-State Award.

In what is becoming an annual tradition for Strath Haven student journalists, the team finished out the day with ice cream from the Berkey Creamery.

Read participants’ takes on the experience below.

Kathryn Barrett '27

I got to spend the day at Penn State because I won the PSPA photography contest for the yearbook category at regionals.

We started with a welcome and opening remarks by Marie Hardin and Aaron Fitzpatrick, during which we heard more about what Penn State has to offer and what our day was going to be like. Later, we had a press conference with some members of the Penn State Blue Band. It was super interesting to hear what it’s like to be part of the band at a big school like that. They talked about the time commitment, what game days are like, and how the band becomes like a second family.

While they were talking, I got to practice taking photos during a press conference, which is different from what I usually shoot. I tried out different angles and focused on capturing expressions and interactions, which gave me a new perspective on event photography.

One of the best parts of the day was meeting students from other schools. We talked a lot about yearbook and journalism and traded ideas about photography, layouts, and even what it’s like to work on a team. It was cool to meet people who are into the same stuff as me and hear how they run things at their schools.

We also got to explore parts of the Penn State campus, and I used the time to work on shooting college campus photography. I’ve never really done that before, so it was a fun challenge to figure out how to capture both the buildings and energy of student life.

Overall, it was a great day. I learned a lot, not just about photography, but also about journalism, interviewing, and even what it might be like to be on a college campus. It made me even more excited for what’s ahead.

Evie Fernandez '27

The Penn State trip was an amazing experience– even if it meant waking up at 4:00 a.m.

The bus ride over was a little surreal, as I was half asleep and blasting show tunes through my airpods, but once we got there I was fully awake. I loved getting to see what campus was like and wandering around during free time. It was also incredible to learn about the Blue Band and what it’s like to be a member of it. The press conference was great, and I think getting to be around that many remarkable PA student journalists would have been crazy whether I had been competing or not.

Trivia is always a yes for me (as many know) and this instance was no exception, even if they mixed our teams up. I got to meet incredible people from other schools, and I personally think we did great (we placed ninth out of 35 teams). Getting to look around campus and duck into various rooms and booths in the main hall was great, and I got tons of Penn State swag out of it, which was nice.

Awards are always great, and it was amazing to see my name twin win the feature writing category, as well as the Panther Press winning gold for the newspaper and all-state for our website. The ice cream at the end of the day was also a fantastic mood-booster to get ready for the long bus ride back home.

Overall, though, the best part was getting to spend so much time with the incredible people on the yearbook, newspaper, and Jabberwocky staff. It was certainly a memorable day, surrounded by memorable people, and I’m looking forward to hopefully continuing to attend in the future.

Cali Fries '27

We woke up at 5 a.m. to trudge to school and get on the bus to PSPA. Though I was not competing I was still participating in the day, which included a coach bus sponsored by Conestoga on the way there.

At first, we were greeted by a press conference with the Blue Band, and got to learn the true lengths of baton twirling. Also, we received left over notepads from a fellow school, which are my personal favorite

After this, the competitors left and me and the other leftover lit mag folks, after a quick trip to Starbucks, discussed our plans for the magazine next year and I ate an Acai bowl for lunch. After, we engaged with other student journalists and had a press conference.

It is a bit of a weird experience for a literary magazine to be here discussing copyright law. There were also no physical copies of magazines which made it difficult to network. But despite this, it was wonderful to see fellow Haven students win and enjoy their time.

Ella Lee '25

I woke up at 4:15 am and began my day by hurrying to school. The Panther Press, Jabberwocky, and Haven Yearbook “bus pooled” together to Conestoga High School, where we arrived with The Spoke to Penn State's main campus.

After a three-hour-long drive in the very comfortable coach bus, we made our way to the HUB building and were greeted by enthusiastic staff. All of us received Penn State drawstring backpacks with merch (a pen, notebook, and even lip balm!).

After delighting ourselves with bagels and fruits, everyone settled down as the event began. We listened to a student panel that centered around Penn State’s Blue Band and got to hear from its members. It was interesting to listen to their experiences as I could see some parallels between Penn State’s marching band and Strath Haven’s Marching band.

It was then competition time. My event was LitMag Artwork, where I had to create a piece of art that would pair with a given poem in 60 minutes. The poem I received had to do with a shipwreck, and quite honestly, I struggled to come up with a piece. Ultimately, I scraped together my scattered ideas and hurriedly drew something that resembled a storm with crashing waves hitting a boat. I’ll admit it was not my best work, and I wish I could have brought more meaning/depth to the piece, but there is only so much one can do in such a short time frame. It was after the competition that I finally got ideas of what I could have drawn.

After such an intense hour, I followed some Panther Press staff to get lunch and was pleasantly surprised by how good the poke bowls were. With our stomachs full and stress dissipated, we returned to the main auditorium and were scattered into groups with other schools to compete in a game of trivia and to listen to a guest speaker talk about journalists' rights. The main theme of this segment revolved around journalism/newspaper, and as someone who is not too familiar with press-related terms and events, I found everything to be quite informative.

Then, it was time for the award ceremony! The Panther Press won an impressive amount of awards, which reflects the dedication and hard work the staff and Ms. Plows put into the publication. Additionally, Evelynn got first in her event which was very exciting.

Once the ceremony ended, we all walked to the Penn State Berkey Creamery and enjoyed delicious ice cream – the scoops were astronomically large, as I have never seen a regular ice cream serving that big. We all hobbled back on the bus, finishing our ice cream and decompressing from the eventful day. After three more hours of driving, we arrived back at Conestoga, took our group picture, and all went off on our separate journeys home.

Besides going to the regional competition at Temple, I have never been involved in something like PSPA before. I got to learn about journalism, see my classmates compete, and meet other schools! Overall, the PSPA competition at Penn State was an enriching experience, and I am very thankful to have been able to attend.

Evelynn Lin '25

Even though my day started with a debacle—forgetting both my air-tagged water bottle and my AirPods—my experience at Penn State was far from the chaos that I call my 5 a.m. slump.

After a 3-hour drive on an extremely nice coach bus, I found myself in the middle of Pennsylvania at the Penn State HUB with my fellow peers. With a chunky drawstring bag full of my pages-long Penn State Blue Band research notes, medicine, and homework, I was ready to take on a day competing against top contenders in the state for feature writing.

The first hour consisted of talking with other journalists in the area and chowing down bagels with cream cheese. I found myself seeing the other Panther Press from Saegertown for the first time in two years, even seeing a few familiar faces. Some of them remembered me for my blue hair, which made me incredibly happy. Blue hair still remains a trademark, for sure.

The press conference started shortly after, where we got to listen to three members of the Penn State Blue Band share their experiences over the years. I sat with a shaky leg, super nervous. This was the start of the competition, and even though I had low expectations, I really wanted to win. My phone recorded the entire hour-long conference, and during that time, I quickly jotted down timestamps of memorable words spoken. My mind was racing with different scrambles of ideas, and I was basically running on adrenaline and nerves.

This feeling didn’t stop when all of the competing artists and writers were filed out and upstairs into a room full of tables and seating. In the entire hour we were given to write our stories, I wrote and rewrote grafs, and re-evaluated my angle over and over again. I didn’t have a firm plan for exactly what I was writing until the time was halfway up, and this scared me. You’re not going to win, and that’s okay, I thought to myself in disappointment as my hand flew across the page, working as fast and as diligently as I could.

At the sound of the alarm, marking the end of the hour, I was shaking as I ordered my papers and stuffed them into the yellow manila envelope. Here goes nothing, I thought. I was both stressed and relieved that it was over. It was all up to the judges once again.

After a poke bowl lunch, we all gathered back in the auditorium for journalism trivia and a presentation by Amy Sanders on student press law and rights. Because we were assigned to different groups with journalists from different schools, it was a really interesting hour of bonding and getting to know what other student newspapers, as classes, are like. Our trivia team name was “Tanner Osborn,” which was really funny because it was one of our team members' names, rather than an actual team name (whoops). We were runner-ups too, which made it even more hilarious.

Team Tanner Osborn places second in the trivia contest

My stomach began churning and I became very, very stressed when the awards ceremony began. Matteo and I were recognized for participating in the Pennsylvania Student Journalist of the Year contest, and I was rather dumbfounded when I heard my name called to receive my certificate. The yearbook won a gold critique rating and the newspaper also won All-State (again) for our website and gold for both website and print, which was insanely wonderful. Then, began the announcement of each state winner in each yearbook, newspaper, and lit magazine category.

When the announcer reached my category, I sat with bated breath, heart racing, my feet shaking so badly against the ground. Then, I heard my name, and everything faded away in my mind. My jaw dropped to the ground, and it stayed there as I walked up to the stage to receive my award. I had just won, and this was not an April Fools joke. I was the state champion for feature writing. When I returned from the stage, all smiles, heart soaring, I was hugged and congratulated by everyone. Evie and I had a moment, and I was so happy the Evelyn(n)s got to compete in the same category one last time.

Ice cream at the creamery felt extra sweet after such a surreal championship win. We even saw Jess Farhat and Joe Lister!

I am so incredibly grateful for my adviser (and chaperone) KP, and every fellow PP member, yerd, and Jabberwockian who supported and competed alongside me. It’s been such a great way to end my last year attending the PSPA State Finals.

State Champion, News Feature Writing

Kenzie MacCallum '28

The day began early as I woke up at 4 a.m., filled with excitement and anticipation for the events ahead. This was the day of the Pennsylvania School Press Association (PSPA) journalism competition, and although I wasn't a competitor, I was eager to support my peers.

By 6 a.m., we got on a bus headed to Conestoga High School where we would hop on a coach bus and start our drive to Penn State. The ride was four hours but we all had a great time. Many competitors prepared and arranged their thoughts, while I observed the camaraderie around me. The excitement and anxiety in the air was palpable, as everyone anticipated the day filled with challenges and opportunities in journalism.

We finally arrived at Penn State College at 9:30 a.m., greeted by a sprawling campus and an air of creativity. As a non-competitor, I had the honor of listening and learning from educators and students from Penn State. The first thing we did when we got there was listen to a panel of students talk about the Blue Band. This made me interested in going to Penn State because I want to go to a college with a band.

The competition started after the panel ended and while everyone was leaving, I stayed in my seat with a couple of people who weren’t competing. I explored the downstairs of the building with a friend and went to a couple stores while we waited for the competition to end. While I was talking with my teacher about what themes we could make Jabberwocky next year, people started to trickle in as the competition was ending soon. Once everyone was back, we could go back downstairs for lunch.

Getting to go to the PSPA journalism competition as a non-competitor was a unique and enriching experience. Although I wasn’t competing, I felt inspired by the talent and determination of my peers. This event not only broadened my understanding of journalism but also strengthened my passion for the field.

Morgan Matthews '28

On Tuesday, April 1st I was granted the opportunity to attend the PSPA state finals, which took place at the Penn State campus. The day began with an early start, with a wakeup time of 4:30, but it ended up being well worth it.

When we arrived on campus after a long drive, I was delighted to find myself surrounded by like minded student journalists from surrounding Pennsylvania schools. I had a fun time sparking conversations with people who I ordinarily wouldn’t have the chance to interact with. It felt rewarding to support my peers who were participating in some of the many competitive journalistic contests.

The event ran very smoothly, with an action packed schedule that included a press conference and an informative presentation on the legalities and rights involved with student journalism.

Overall, the event was very enjoyable and I gained a lot of valuable information.

Abbey Minton '28

Once I arrived, I was immediately excited to walk around the campus. It was sunny and the buildings were nice. After enjoying a late breakfast of fruit and scones, I was able to sit down and decompress with my friends while we waited.

After a short introduction to PSPA, some members of the Penn State Blue Band spoke about their experiences. It was very cool to learn about the band as a member of band front at Strath Haven. I was able to wonder about what my college life could look like in a band.

After the Blue Band finished speaking, students were allowed to ask questions. I didn’t approach them, but other members of Strath Haven did. This interview process lasted about thirty minutes.

Once the interviews were over, I sat with Ms. Drew, the leader of Jabberwocky, and my peers in the club. While others began to compete, we walked around the building and brainstormed ideas. I didn’t expect to come up with as much as I did.

By 12:30 the competition was over and competitors began to get judged. I met up with some of my friends who competed and ate lunch in the shops downstairs. I had a plant based whopper at burger king and it exceeded my expectations.

At around 1:30 we went back to the main room to play a quick trivia game to meet with the other schools. I made a lot of friends and ended up landing second place as "Team Tanner Osborn." Our team leader accidentally wrote his name as the team name and it had us laughing the whole time.

Later, Strath Haven won many awards and I tried my best to clap as best as I could to show my support. We celebrated with a traditional trip to Berkeley Creamery for some ice cream.

Overall, it was an extremely fun trip that I would love to come on next year. I wish I could compete and be a part of such an amazing group of people.

Noa Murley '28

The 2025 PSPA Finals took place in Penn State and was an excellent experience for all of the student attendees. The group with me took a coach bus up to Penn State, and though it was an exceedingly long commute, the view of the mountains made it somewhat worth it.

Once we arrived we were sat in a large auditorium with a screen at the forefront and microphones on the stage. There were several speakers, some of which were three college students introducing us to the Blue Band. As I can only speak for the artwork competitors and, very vaguely, the poet contestants, the competition consisted of the students being sat in a room with many chairs and tables. The artists were given scratch paper and a rule sheet at the beginning of the day, as for the poets, I don’t know what they were given, but I immagine it was something similar.

We were then handed our prompts and given one hour to develop our submission.

After the hour had passed, the students were welcome to explore campus or go and find something to eat. After the lunch hour was up, we were supposed to come back to the auditorium and meet in random groups for a game of trivia. My group was called Worms, although, looking back, Brain Worms would have been a better name, at least in my opinion. The trivia questions consisted of very few movie questions and many questions about journalism, to which I have little to no knowledge of. Worms did not win.

After the game, more speakers gave speeches.

After the speakers were finished, the winners of the several competitions were announced to everyone in the auditorium.

After the winners were announced and addressed, the groups of students, chaperones, and teachers were free to leave, but my group went to go have ice cream.

Joya Nath '28

As someone who’s never taken a trip down to Penn State before, I was very impressed at all they had to offer. I was even more inspired by the way the Bellisario College of Communication welcomed so many young journalists with open arms and offered bountiful opportunities.

One of the most interesting parts of the day was the press conference held in the morning. I’ve never been in a situation quite like that one, and it felt very professional if I do say so myself. Aside from providing a riveting description of the mighty PSU Blue Band, the conference also allowed everyone to try out a new interview style and pick and choose the information they might want to use in their pieces. To be honest, choosing from all the great tidbits the speakers provided was probably the toughest part for me!

The actual competition went by in a blur, and the hour felt terribly short as the minutes sped by. This being said, being surrounded by other student journalists scribbling on their scrap paper feverishly provided a sort of adrenaline rush. I could tell everyone was so focused and it made me feel curious and even more determined to do my best. What I submitted was far from perfect, but I left with a sense of accomplishment.

Aside from the enriching journalistic experience PSPA states offered, the day also served as a way to get out and about, meet new people, and have fun with friends. The bus was full of laughter (at least my row) and there was rarely a dull moment between my friends and I as we took in all the new sights. Being surrounded by real college kids was exciting, and the hustle and bustle had us looking towards our own futures. College feels so distant, but experience’s like this make me realise it will sneak up before I know it.

Finally, a trip to the Penn State creamery was the cherry on top. Although I was disappointed to not see cows grazing right outside as I had suspected (lol), the mint chocolate chip hit the spot.

Newspaper freshmen representing at PSPA finals

Matthew Ramirez '26

I have never been to Penn State or the PSPA state competitions so this was something new for me.

Aside from me being fashionably late to our bus to Conestoga, we arrived at Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications after a 3-hour long bus ride on a coach bus along with members from The Spoke.

Caffeine-deprived, we entered to be faced with hundreds of other student journalists from around Pennsylvania. I connected with people from schools near Pittsburgh, Central PA, and Philadelphia.

I scarfed down a bagel and chugged some terrible coffee, and my day quickly began as I was moving around the floor, camera in hand, photographing the beginning of the conference.

After a brief introduction presentation by Bellisario College Dean Marie Hardin and Pennsylvania School Press Association President Aaron Fitzpatrick, Penn State senior and journalism major Dylan Price took the stage alongside fellow communication students and Penn State Blue Band leaders Lucy Schilling, Mackenzie Bronk, and Sarah Welwood. There, they discussed their roles in the band and their academic and professional experiences in the fields of communications and journalism.

Bellisario College Dean Marie Hardin gives her introductory remarks at the Pennsylvania School Press Association state competitions at the Alumni Hall in the HUB-Robeson Center on Tuesday, April 1. (Matthew Ramirez '26)

Student journalists had the opportunity to ask one-on-one questions with the interviewees and soon broke out into our competitions. Those not in a photography/broadcast were escorted to the competition room.

I, being in the photography competition, had the freedom to see the campus on a guided tour with the others in similar broadcast and photography categories. For the photography competition, we were given a short shot list of specific photos that we had to collect during our time at the university.

I didn't realize the difficulty of my competition as the shot list was rather vague and you had to be vigilant and observant enough to write a 3-sentence cut and caption line for each of your photos that you will end up submitting for your competition.

We returned back to the HUB-Robeson Center in time for a lunch break and the awards ceremony. The Panther Press and Haven Yearbook came back home with various Gold Rating critiques, individual earnings, and an All-State champion award for the website, shpantherpress.com

To ceremoniously celebrate, and for our last stop on campus, we made our way to the Penn State Creamery for a sweet treat before our bus ride home. I napped.

Scarlett Rein '28

The day of the PSPA competition started bright and early at four in the morning. I woke up, nervous but excited and ready for the long bus ride ahead. And although I was nervous, I knew that whatever was to come, I would try my best to have the most fun and do the best I could.

I was lucky enough to have three very close friends with me so before the bus ride began, we were able to talk, and I was able to calm myself down. Throughout the bus ride, we spent our time watching shows,reading books, listening to music and laughing. Although not all of us were competing, we were all nervous about what the day would bring.

When we arrived on the Penn State campus, the excitement in the air was so electric. I knew the minute we walked in the conference room today was going to be a good day, regardless of what happened.

As we sat down for the beginning of the press conference about the blue band I listened intently. Although I wasn’t here for the journalism aspect of the competition it was still incredibly interesting to hear what these truly incredible people had to say.

As the competition neared, I felt my nerves growing, but I knew all I had to do was try my best.

When the conference was over, we were escorted to the competition room. As I walked in my nerves melted away, and creativity and excitement filled me. I was excited to put my words down onto the paper and see what I could come up with. The competition went by in a flash, and I was really proud of my piece of poetry.

After the competition I was able to grab lunch at Burger King with some of my closest friends, and we talked and laughed about how our days were going so far although they weren’t competing, they were incredibly important in easing my worries about my piece.

After lunch, we played some trivia with people we had never met before and that was one of my favorite parts of the competition. Meeting like-minded students who are all so talented and kind. After this results came out and we got to see who had won. I was so proud of all of those who received an award and each person who did deserved it greatly.

After this, we went to the famous Penn State creamery and I bought 4 pints of ice cream. I do not regret my purchase because these pints were some of the best pints of ice cream I’ve ever had.

We then prepared for the long bus ride home, where we received our poems and artwork and other pieces along with feedback from the judges.The judges' feedback was invaluable, offering constructive criticism and suggestions for improvement. Although I didn't take home a top prize, I received recognition for my work, which boosted my confidence and motivation to continue refining my craft.

In conclusion the experience was both exhilarating and humbling, allowing me to showcase my creative work and connect with like-minded peers from across the state as well as find a new passion for writing and creating art.

Selfie at the competition

Fiona Seale '28

As a non-competitor, I was very wary about going to the PSPA state finals at Penn State. It felt a little bit like I was some kind of poser, mooching off the success of my fellow Strath Haven student journalists. It was especially hard that my best friend qualified for the competition, and I didn’t. But what I gained from experience trumped all those doubts and insecure feelings.

The number one thing I loved at this competition was the sense of community and the feeling of pride. When we got into the building, there were already so many people in there, all bustling around with excitement, there were people from all across the state, of all ages, and with all different kinds of creative perspectives and journalistic specialties. Even though we were all so different, and in many ways competitors, through the individual contests or through our school papers, there was something uniting us: that love and passion for press and the truth. There were people setting up video cameras and photographers bending down low to capture all the best angles, reporters jotting notes in their notepad, and artists organizing their materials. It was so interesting and enlightening to see all the different ways people could be creative, and all of them were so impressive.

Coming into the newspaper my freshman year, I really only thought of it as writing and reporting, but along the way, and through this competition, I’ve realized there is so much more that goes into creating a good publication. All the students present on Tuesday inspired me immensely with their dedication, unique perspective and hard work. Evelynn Lin won in her category, and The Panther Press publication received gold standard for an online site. I could just feel the competitiveness and the pride pulsating through the air. Our editors had worked so hard, had put in so much of themselves, and seeing them be rewarded for their incredible work felt gratifying and beautiful.

Overall, this event just felt like a celebration of student journalism, and a battle cry for all reporters still looking to produce the truth, something we need in these trying times. It was a competitive environment, but I think everybody needs that. All the talented and accomplished students in there were pushing each other to be better, and that was really awesome to see.

Roxanna Shelton '27

Going to Penn State University on April 1 for the PSPA journalism competition was an extremely fun experience. Though it might be a competitive, academic trip, there were many fun activities and memorable moments. I competed in the yearbook photography competition and I am so grateful to have had this opportunity and experience.

We had a set list of requirements for our photos, which would determine our status in states as a yearbook photographer. This list definitely challenged me to expand my capabilities. I didn’t know the campus, so the whole day I was following a leader from place to place. It was so different from Strath Haven high school or Temple, the space was huge which overwhelmed me with excitement. We could not go too far, but the large space we covered throughout the day, taking photos, touring the campus, was all so eye opening from the high school perspective I have.

I had to work with this unfamiliar environment which was definitely intimidating but very rewarding. It forced me to work with my camera settings, it pushed me outside of my comfort zone, and so much more. I was taking photos at the foot of the stage during the press conference with the Blue Band. That was a major moment because I have taken pictures of plays, clubs, and sports but this felt completely different. I was at the foot of a completely different stage and I think it helped me become more brave in a way.

I was even interviewed: “I saw you walking around the stage during the conference. Do you think doing photography has built a level of bravery for you?” If I am being honest I was embarrassed. The whole conference you are in front of the crowd, but I had to do what I needed for the competition. I think not just journalism and previous photography experiences have helped me grow braver, but this competition specifically made me do it in a completely different setting.

Going to PSPA finals helped me as an overall journalist, photographer, and made me even more confident.

Matteo Ventresca '25

Before I get into the competition details, I want to start off by saying that I wasn’t supposed to compete. I was a runner-up after the PSPA Regionals and got into the competition because one of the winners was unable to attend.

For the competition, we had to watch a press conference from members of the Blue Band, Penn State’s marching band. It lasted about an hour. We could record, ask questions, and write down anything we wanted. After the press conference, we had to write our 250-300-word article.

Seems pretty simple, right?

Wrong.

My competition was “Newspaper Sports Writing,” and marching band is not a sport. The Blue Band performs at Penn State football games. Before the press conference, I was thinking about what my angle could be. “How do I connect this?” I thought.

There were two problems with my contest.

The first one is that Penn State has a terrible signal inside and outside. This was problematic because I couldn’t import my recording into Otter.ai. During the press conference, I wrote down times when they said something I could use.

I had to use someone else’s recordings. These recordings were split up into three, so the times I wrote down meant absolutely nothing. Due to the signal, I couldn’t search for specific words in the transcript.

As modern kids would say: I was cooked.

Now, you would think, “Come on, Matteo, it can’t be that bad. Just put in your earbuds and listen to the times you wrote down.”

Nope.

Well… I left my earbuds in my bag. Just to make life a little harder for myself.

So there I was, with three split-up recordings and the transcript, with no way to find certain quotes other than reading through the whole thing.

I ended up writing about how the Band contributes to the energy at Beaver Stadium during a football game. I know I could’ve done so much better. But I was struggling. Everything was off.

Rightfully so, I did not win. In fact, I got sixth in my category.

Evelynn Lin won her category. Joya Nath got second by a half point in hers. Our newspaper won the All-State Website, the Gold Award for newspaper, and the Gold Award for Website. The yearbook got the gold award.

But it wasn’t about winning. It never was.

For me, it was about supporting the newspaper and its staff in everything we do. Win or lose.

Ms. Kate Plows

It is 4:15 p.m. on a day that had started at 4:15 a.m., and I am standing at Penn State Creamery cash register, directing one student journalist after another to just say dish or cone, then head to the dipping stations.

It’s been my tradition to buy ice cream for the student journalists I take to PSPA finals, all the way back to the years at my previous school. But I’d questioned whether I’d follow through this year. Fifteen attendees was the biggest group I’d ever organized for Penn State. In almost a decade of these trips (a timeline that makes me gasp when I think about it), never have I asked permission or approval to get ice cream reimbursed. I’ve always eaten the cost, because—well, you know what? For jumping through all these hoops that I keep throwing at them, our student journalists deserve some Death by Chocolate or Peachy Paterno, even if it means I push through with some peanut butter and jelly until payday.

In the end, it was a question of efficiency. If the college student cashier had to explain the procedure to each one of our tired, glassy-eyed students while they half-listened, half-weighed their flavor options, then worked through their various forms of payment, we probably would not have gotten out of the Creamery until we’d delayed the Conestoga coach bus by an hour.

The last student said, “bowl please.” I asked for one of my own, too. Then, laughing a little, I asked the student cashier if bourbon was a flavor option as I handed over my credit card to ring up our group’s total.

“After all that, it should be,” he said with a smile. “I’ll suggest it.”

Fifteen students chose to depart Wallingford at 5 a.m. and spend a very long day at PSPA finals this year. Fifteen tired kids slowly walked back to the bus with cones and bowls in hand as I lingered behind, catching up with a few beloved alumni who better not have cut class to meet us at the Creamery.

I’m proud of these students who jump on opportunities and stay patient with all my *crazy ideas. I’m also proud of how much more efficient we’ve gotten over the years—both with our Strath Haven group and with the PSPA organization of the event.

Because Mrs. Drew is a wonderful co-chaperone for this trip, I feel confident that our group has good anchor supervision during lunch and early afternoon programming. And because I can leave our group in good hands during lunch for a bit, I can help with PSPA judging and organization behind the scenes. There were 33 schools and more than 170 competitors at this year’s event, and most contests are judged with rubrics, feedback, and documentation of the winners over the students’ lunch break. We usually have just enough time in the judging room to get it all completed—but this year we finished with ten minutes to spare.

Many of my colleagues on the PSPA board have been leading recognition programs for student journalists for much longer than my decade of involvement. They are determined, fierce souls who believe deeply in student journalism and who show up for all of it, even when the work gets messy. It makes me proud to know that my students know names like Aaron Fitzpatrick and Paul Fantaski and Cyndi Hyatt now. Emily Clevenger, too—I could write a whole other blog on this. Suffice to say, I’m just glad that my team is getting to know the team who is supporting them beyond the bubble of our school.

I guess the thesis of this ramble is that we all deserve ice cream for creating memories like April 1.

There are the zoom-in shots of a comfy coach bus, pencil shavings on the contest room floor, Evelynn jumping up and down with her first place award, and the overdraft ding on my phone after I bought all the ice cream.

There are the medium shots of students learning about who they are through the experience of meeting others who care about the same niches they’ve found.

Then there is the wide-angle view of an all-volunteer organization that believes enough in student voice to spend months of each year putting this annual program together, while also puzzling out how to extend support beyond contests, too.

My take-home was a cup of Alumni Chip, a half-gallon of Grilled Stickies, and a half-gallon of Cookie Dough. Don’t judge. Completing the 2025 yearbook is going to take some fuel.

*To be fair, two field trips in one week that left me bedridden with COVID in the aftermath was not really my idea and I won’t do it again. PSPA and PA News Media Association are going to do a better job of coordinating dates next year, I can feel it in my bones.

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Student journalists bring home state recognition from 2025 PSPA Finals

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