Mundelein High School’s staff of the student-produced school newspaper, The Mustang, recently earned 23 awards in the 2018-2019 Illinois Journalism Education Association (IJEA) Newspaper and Digital Media contest.

“I think it just goes to show how diligently we worked as a staff this year and it is nice to be rewarded for all of it at the end of the year,” said Senior Tyler Yakimisky, who served as co-editor-in-chief this year along with Senior Madison Parola.

The staff took second place in the Best Hybrid Publication category and third place for Best Overall Publication. The staff also received third place for Best Overall Design for its August/September 2018 issue as well as third place for Best Website – mhsmustang.com.

“At the beginning of the year, the editors spent time studying a professional design book so they could modernize the newspaper’s look, particularly the front page,” said Michelle Didzbalis, advisor of The Mustang staff. “What they learned put them on the right track toward winning some awards for their design concepts.”

Additionally, the editors received honorable mention for Best Staff Editorial on an opinion piece titled, “The press trumps the president.”

Individual staff members placed for their work in the following categories:

Best News Story Honorable Mention: “Heart-to-heart: students embrace speaker’s message” by Madison Parola

Best In-Depth News Story Second Place: “What can the counselors do for you?,” by Madison Parola

Best In-Depth News Story Honorable Mention: “JB Pritzker vs. Bruce Rauner: The Battle for Governor,” by MacKenzie Stewart

Best Feature Story Honorable Mention: “Winter Play stages different kind of play than those before,” by Jaden Gil

Best Personality Profile Honorable Mention: “Garcia takes charge of student body,” by Sarah Parduhn

Best Sports News Story Honorable Mention: “Boys varsity cross country team ‘takes their mark’ in coveted California meet” by Tyler Yakimisky

Best Serious Commentary Third Place: “Partisan politics leads to unnecessary government shutdown,” by MacKenzie Stewart

Best Humorous Commentary Third Place: “How to survive Valentine’s Day if you’re single,” by Hannah Stanley

Best Review Second Place: “Movie keeps inspiring messages from novel ‘The Hate U Give’,” by Kylie Carrier

Best News or Feature Photo Honorable Mention: “Show Choir in the Spotlight: What this shining art is all about,” by Lindsay Nootbaar

Best Sports Photo First Place: “Boys basketball makes comeback – Game Planning”, by David Bernauer

Best Illustration Third Place: “Holiday Traditions,” by Hannah Stanley

Best Alternative Storytelling Third Place: “Boys basketball makes comeback,” by David Bernauer

Best Headline Third Place: “Slam team shakes things up with Shakespeare,” by Kylie Carrier

Best Advertisement First Place: “Pre-Order a Yearbook,” by Lindsay Nootbaar

Best Single-Page Story Package Third Place:  “Boys basketball seniors reflect on last season,” by Madison Neuwald

Best Photo Story Honorable Mention: “Unique cultures were on display at MHS’s first ever Cultural Fair,” by Kylie Carrier

Best Front-Page Design Honorable Mention, by Tyler Yakimisky