Seven members of The Eyrie and photojournalism staffs qualified for state at the regional competition.  They earned nine slots in eight different contests.

Lexi Nelson, sophomore, took first in headline writing and honorable mention in editorial cartoon; Mitchell Liermann, sophomore, took second in editorial writing and Kennedee Estes, junior, qualified with an honorable mention in news writing as did Laiken Yerby, senior, in infographic design.

In the photography categories, Connor Letts, senior, placed first in photo illustration as well as second in student life; Torrie Cross, senior, and Sierra Muellner qualified with honorable mentions in sports and student life photo respectively.

Sixteen journalism students competed on site at the Kansas Scholastic Press Association’s regional 6A journalism competition Friday, Feb. 17, at the University of Kansas.

They tested their skills in a variety of categories, including news, sports, opinion and feature writing as well as editorial cartooning. Additionally, 14 entries in a variety of other competitions, including photography and design, were submitted digitally earlier in the week.

Their work was judged by professional journalists and photographers. Students placing first through third as well as honorable mention qualify for the state competition in May.

Last year, the Eyrie and photojournalism staffs earned the third place 6A State Sweepstakes award. They earned the third highest total of points among all the 6A Kansas high schools who competed at state.