2022 Gold Medallion Winners

Oct. 13, 2022

Minnesota High School Press Association has announced winners of its Gold Medallion Awards for 2021-22.

The awards recognize the academic year’s top individual work in seven categories — broadcast, literary arts magazine, newspaper/newsmagazine, online, photojournalism, social media and yearbook.

They were presented at the Minnesota High School Journalism Convention, Oct. 19, at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

First Place
Aric Randolph, Evan Koncsol
Noise News, Spectrum High School
New Phone Policy

Second Place
Ruby Suro, Isabella Godfrey, Jeremiah Swartz
The Pony Express, Stillwater Area High School
Flight School

Third Place
Tommy Verhey, Ivy Raya
The Rubicon, St. Paul Academy and Summit School
Stading highlights the importance of prioritizing interests in senior projects

Fourth Place
Maya Disher, Ava Stein, Olivia Kulisch
The Pony Express, Stillwater Area High School
Business Professionals of America

Fifth Place
Isaac Bengtson, Leyla Hadjdjelloul
Noise News, Spectrum High School
Water Quality

First Place
Abyan Osman, Liban Barqadle
Hylander News Network, Columbia Heights High School
Annual art show returns after three years

Second Place
Siri Pattison
The Rubicon, St. Paul Academy and Summit School
SPA Cribs: Huss Edition

Third Place
Leyla Hadjdjelloul, James Freeby
Noise News, Spectrum High School
Jayse Norling

Fourth Place
Ruby Curtis, Jezabel Dimaze
Noise News, Spectrum High School
Meeting the Mayor

Fifth Place
Nissa Wilcox, Delaney Clendenen, Sydney Rodd
The Pony Express, Stillwater Area High School
Pony Brew teaches skills

First Place
Audrey Leatham
Iris: Art + Lit, St. Paul Academy and Summit School
i am going to

Second Place
Eliza Farley, Elle Chen
Iris: Art + Lit, St. Paul Academy and Summit School
i am / The Way it Flowed

Third Place
Anna Dubbels, Nathan Baszuro
Aurora, Cannon Falls High School
A delicate tear

First Place
Liza Thomas
Iris: Art + Lit, St. Paul Academy and Summit School
Presence

Second Place
Kalie Campbell Moline
Aurora, Cannon Falls High School
Us

Third Place
Anna Nowakowski
Iris: Art + Lit, St. Paul Academy and Summit School
Industrial Assemblage

First Place
Hannah Brass
Iris: Art + Lit, St. Paul Academy and Summit School
like pluto

Second Place
Addy Eby
Iris: Art + Lit, St. Paul Academy and Summit School
See Glass

First Place
Izzy Wagener
Zephyrus, Edina High School
Two Years of COVID-19

Second Place
Katie Kangas
The Pony Express, Stillwater Area High School
Breaking the chain

Third Place
Kwot Anwey, Tenzin Sonam, Alex Druley, Amara Thompson
The Heights Herald, Columbia Heights High School
Students walk out for racial justice

Fourth Place
Hobbs Lillygreen
The Rubicon, St. Paul Academy and Summit School
The language of us

First Place
Melody Lee
The Spectrum, The Blake School
New Abortion Bans Threaten Reproductive Rights

Second Place
Annika Kim
The Rubicon, St. Paul Academy and Summit School
Work to close the achievement gap

Third Place
Alex Druley
The Heights Herald, Columbia Heights High School
Homophobia at CHHS causes stress for students

First Place
Celeste Eckstein
Zephyrus, Edina High School
School in the US should not be a death sentence

Second Place
Ava Gregorich
The Heights Herald, Columbia Heights High School
Amidst pandemic, youth mental health continues to decline

Third Place
Miski Mohamed
The Heights Herald, Columbia Heights High School
CHPS calendar changes needed to accommodate Eid

Fourth Place
Claire Heyne
OHS Magnet, Owatonna High School
It’s time we look up from our phones

Sixth Place
Rowan Wallin, Zoey Ueland, Amelia Bush, Charlotte Opp, Cleo Kilpatrick
The Spectrum, The Blake School
The Voice of the Staff: Over enrollment affects community, classes

Seventh Place
Erin Chunn
The Quill, Robbinsdale Cooper High School
Racial taunts mar basketball game

First Place
Dedeepya Guthikonda
Zephyrus, Edina High School
Racist video surfaces at Edina

Second Place
Preston Meier
OHS Magnet, Owatonna High School
TikTok trend damages OHS bathrooms

Third Place
Kwot Anwey
The Heights Herald, Columbia Heights High School
Students walk out for racial justice

Fourth Place
John Misa
The Talon, Minnehaha Academy
Unlikely links between school, space & war

Fifth Place
Hannah Owens Pierre
Zephyrus, Edina High School
Edina renames park to honor historic Black founders

First Place
Mia DiLorenzo, Izzy Wagener
Zephyrus, Edina High School
Enduring solitude: Behind the experience of non-cisgender students at EHS

Second Place
Elle Chen
The Rubicon, St. Paul Academy and Summit School
Shaughnessy heals through the revival of adoptee affinity group Love & Grace

Third Place
Celeste Eckstein
Zephyrus, Edina High School
Somebody truly has to care: Allan Law’s mission to help those in need

Fourth Place
Megan Cornell
Knight Errant, Benilde-St. Margaret’s School
Why Do Students Struggle to Read?

Fifth Place
Audrey Weber
Knight Errant, Benilde-St. Margaret’s School
The BSM Engineering Department, At Its Core, Resembles Male Dominance

First Place
Kyra Schoenfelder
The Lantern, Cannon Falls High School
Setting a record

Second Place
Jane Porter, Mia DiLorenzo
Zephyrus, Edina High School
Bittersweet: Edina Girls’ Hockey takes home the bronze

Third Place
Owen Hoffner
The Talon, Minnehaha Academy
Royalty in the making

Fourth Place
Zoey Ueland, Noor Naseer, Karsten Farris
The Spectrum, The Blake School
Henry Webb

Fifth Place
John Misa
The Talon, Minnehaha Academy
Where is the paralympic spotlight?

First Place
Staff
The Spartan Speaks, Orono High School
Interactive Course Guide

Second Place
Bianca Caputo
The Lantern, Cannon Falls High School
Thoughtful Thrifting: the art of shopping responsibly

Third Place
Jessica Baszuro
The Lantern, Cannon Falls High School
Starting a nursing journey

First Place
Max Jackson
Knight Errant, Benilde-St. Margaret’s School
Class of 2022: Life Beyond BSM

Second Place
Clara McKoy
The Rubicon, St. Paul Academy and Summit School
How common is your name?

Third Place
Staff
The Lantern, Cannon Falls High School
Satire week grid

First Place
Elsa Johnson
The Antler, Minnehaha Academy
Year of the Tiger

Second Place
Sophia Arndt
The Pony Express, Stillwater Area High School
Chicago

Third Place
Naima Hussen
The Quill, Robbinsdale Cooper High School
Hawks host inaugural Bockhaus Blood Drive

Fourth Place
Kwot Anwey
The Heights Herald, Columbia Heights High School
Students Walk Out for Amir Locke

Fifth Place
Urva Jha
Zephyrus, Edina High School
Backlash against racist video launches EHS student-led walkout

First Place
Jordan Erickson
The Talon, Minnehaha Academy
Cooking Club debuts

Second Place
Curtis Craig
The Talon, Minnehaha Academy
Catching whipped cream

Third Place
Claudia Staut
Tatanka , Buffalo High School
Feature: Phoenix Mural

Fourth Place
Erica Kyllonen
Tatanka , Buffalo High School
Homecoming Fan Lights

Fifth Place
Olivia Hughes
The Antler, Minnehaha Academy
Writing lesson

First Place
Matthew Scherber
Tatanka , Buffalo High School
Boys Basketball

Second Place
Olivia Shaw
OHS Magnet, Owatonna High School
Nick Williams State Basketball

Third Place
Nathan Baszuro
The Lantern, Cannon Falls High School
Stiff arm

Fourth Place
Meklit Tegenge
The Antler, Minnehaha Academy
Words of encouragement

Fifth Place
Ann Oakman
The Talon, Minnehaha Academy
Redhawks win state

First Place
Sam Mahannah, Erica Kyllonen, Amelia Butler, Cooper Polzin
Tatanka, Buffalo High School
Academics: School Map

Second Place
Joseph Mariani
The Spartan, Orono High School
Students’ Summer Plans

Third Place
Grace Bruhn, Maddy Anderson, Sofia Nevala, Autumn Roskowiak, Kate Manninen
Tatanka , Buffalo High School
Opening: Tatanka Identity

First Place
Audrey Simon
OHS Magnet, Owatonna High School
State Basketball Quarterfinal Game

First Place
Leona Barocas
Ibid, St. Paul Academy and Summit School
Distribution Countdown

First Place
Sam Mahannah, Erica Kyllonen
Tatanka, Buffalo High School
First Hand

Second Place
Ada Gerber, Amaal Abdullahi
Kabekonian, Stillwater Area High School
Life-long Bonds

Third Place
Cadie Chorost, Kaylie Carik
Tatanka, Buffalo High School
Our element our memories

Fourth Place
Skke Thalhuber, Isabelle Zavitz, Delaney Whitney
The Spartan, Orono High School
Problem solvers

Fifth Place
Sophia Bietz
Ibid, St. Paul Academy and Summit School
That’s so SPA

First Place
Avery Vrieze
Tatanka, Buffalo High School
End of an era

Second Place
Ivy Lukowicz
Kabekonian, Stillwater Area High School
Off of Each Other

Third Place
Alex Michuda
Tatanka, Buffalo High School
Getting it Wright

First Place
Grace Bruhn, Brooke Heil
Tatanka, Buffalo High School
Play by Play

Second Place
Mason Wilson
Kabekonian, Stillwater Area High School
Turning Back the Clock

Third Place
Carter Stratmann
Kabekonian, Stillwater Area High School
Can’t Stop Us

Fourth Place
Tennyson Shultz, Sienna Kath
The Antler, Minnehaha Academy
MA sophomores top state tennis ranks

Fifth Place
Joy Chen
The Antler, Minnehaha Academy
Season of Pride

First Place
Victoria Viteri
Tatanka, Buffalo High School
Be One, Be Rowdy

Second Place
Hugh Hanlon, Noah Casement
Kabekonian, Stillwater Area High School
Then and Now

Third Place
Helen Townley
Ibid, St. Paul Academy and Summit School
One step at a time

First Place
Staff
Tatanka, Buffalo High School
Element

Second Place
Leona Barocas, Lulu Priede
Ibid, St. Paul Academy and Summit School
You Inspire Me

Third Place
Perry Link, Kate McGrann, Grace Pierpont
The Spartan, Orono High School
Here We Are