Ms. Theresa Smith surprised (from left) Katia Khoury, Lauren Metcalf and Wesley Burke with the news that they were part of the Halo team that earned 8 AIPA awards!
The Notre Dame Prep yearbook, The Halo, won eight awards on Tuesday, Oct. 15, at the 2024 Arizona Interscholastic Press Association Fall Convention at Arizona State University. The convention celebrates the journalistic work of Arizona high school students adjudicated by industry experts from the previous year.
The highest honor was a "superior" award for Sports Feature Writing for our story on National Letter of Intent signing day.
Senior Wesley Burke wrote about 2024 class member Chase Wagner, pitching now at ASU. Senior Katia Khoury profiled '24 graduate Anthony Batson, a basketball player at Stanford. Aaron Ramos, a member of the Class of 2024, wrote about fellow graduate Aaron Kniffin, an outfielder/pitcher at San Diego State. Senior Lauren Metcalf penned an article on '24 graduate Ava Pautz, now playing basketball at Missouri Southern State University. Lauren Schwartz covered key aspects of classmate Evan Hendrix, a current volleyball player at Texas Christian University.
The Saints staff won two awards in the "excellent" category: a people spread depicting eclectic Halloween costumes, and a student life spread on a dynamic pep rally featuring cheer and pom.
Four Saints won individual awards, including Khoury's honorable mention in the personality profile writing category, for her engaging article on National Merit Finalist Ava Handel, a '24 graduate.
Schwartz captured two honorable mention awards for sports photography: a wrestling photo of current sophomore Nathan Jones pinning his opponent and a photo of current junior Caden Vinger blocking a soccer foe while heading the ball.
Fellow 2024 graduate Courtney Barrett won an honorable mention for her sports spread of 10 photos and layout of girls' basketball. Classmate Ava Popo won an honorable mention in sports photography for her depiction of current junior Bailey Kealy making a diving dig in beach volleyball.
NDP has consistently earned recognition for excellence in journalism over the years. Unfortunately, our students did not receive the awards for NDP in person due to Fall Break, but we are still so proud of their accomplishments!