CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM Iolani School editor-in-chief Keyana Stevens, left, and photo editor Nash Witten celebrated their newspaper's win yesterday.

Iolani’s newspaper named best in state

Iolani School's student newspaper, Imua 'Iolani, won its first Hawaii State High School Journalism Award for Best Newspaper yesterday due to the refined nose for news of a veteran staff, said adviser Karin Swanson.

"I am in awe of my students," she said.

Swanson said most of the staff had sharpened its ability to sniff out a story by working on the newspaper for four years.

Keyana Stevens, editor in chief, has five years of experience, starting out in the eighth grade.

Swanson's students learned to "keep their eyes open," she said. "Their attention to detail and their digging were better. ... It became a culture of inquisitiveness."

Last year's Best Newspaper award winner, Ka Mo'i, of the Kamehameha Schools Kapalama campus, came in second; and Sacred Hearts Academy's Ka Leo placed third in the 38th annual contest. Sponsored by the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, the Honolulu Advertiser and the Hawaii Publishers Association, the awards ceremony was held yesterday at the Pagoda Hotel.

In addition to the Best Single Issue, Iolani took overall state prizes for the Best Editorial and Best Illustration. Swanson said the staff's participation in a couple of mainland conventions gave them "greater exposure" to high-quality journalism.

CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM Iolani School won Best Newspaper in the state and other first-place awards yesterday at the annual High School Journalism Awards luncheon. Nash Witten, photo editor, left, Keyana Stevens, editor in chief, and Karin Swanson, adviser, were thrilled at the wins. The awards ceremony was held at the Pagoda Hotel and sponsored by the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, the Honolulu Advertiser and the Hawaii Publishers Association.

"I never expected this to happen. In the last two years, we've really worked hard to cover stories, (including) more hard news. We had some challenging stories that would cause you to look a little more closely" as the issues unfolded, she added.

In spite of peer pressure over editorials she wrote -- "People would say, 'You shouldn't say such bad things'" -- Stevens stood her ground.

"It's not to put anyone down, but so the problem can be recognized and be fixed later," Stevens said.

"I've always really liked to write," and it was rewarding to discover that "writing can have a purpose, to accomplish something," she added.

The top three merit awards went to Farrington High School, a Best Newspaper Award winner in past years, in the Established Division; Kamehameha Schools-Maui, in the Intermediate Division; and Damien Memorial School in the Beginning Division. Farrington also won for Best Layout and Design.

After only three years in existence, Kamehameha Schools on Maui, whose newspaper won the Beginner's Merit Award in 2007, took home prizes for Best Editorial Cartoon and Best News Story, as well as the intermediate merit award.

Adviser Kye Haina said, "My personal goal was to win a state award in writing."

"That's what journalism is about," chimed in Ashley Shaffer, news editor.

"I knew we had a good paper, but I was still surprised we won," said Brandy Gomes, features editor. "I knew we put a lot of hard work into it and something good was going to come out of it. We're a young paper; it's only our third year."

	Campbell Todilyn Espanol LAYOUT/WRITER		Damien Andrew Hee MANAGING EDITOR
	Farrington Deborah Manog EDITOR IN CHIEF		Hawaii Baptist Charissa Higashi EDITOR IN CHIEF
	Hawaiian Miss. Cami Muller EDITOR		Iolani Keyana Stevens EDITOR IN CHIEF
	Kahuku Ana Reidy EDITOR IN CHIEF		Kailua Stacie Shibano EDITOR IN CHIEF
	Kaimuki Jamna Usman CO-EDITOR IN CHIEF		Kaiser Gareth Teixeira SPORTS EDITOR
	KS-Hawaii Kayla Stormont LAYOUT EDITOR		KS-Kapalama Kaui Awong A&E EDITOR
	KS-Maui Brandy Gomes FEATURES EDITOR		Kapaa Adam Kerlin EDITOR IN CHIEF
	Kauai Micah Mizukami EDITOR IN CHIEF		Kohala Kiana Kometani EDITOR
	Lahainaluna Daisy Andres EDITOR		Le Jardin Keirstan Sussman EDITOR
	Lutheran Lyn Uratani EDITOR IN CHIEF		Mid-Pacific Mahina Komeiji EDITOR
	Mililani Paige Takeya EDITOR IN CHIEF		Moanalua Natalie King EDITOR
	Nanakuli Danielle Choate EDITOR		Pearl City Suha Khan EDITOR IN CHIEF
	Punahou Linda Zhang MANAGING EDITOR		Radford BJ Grip COPY EDITOR
	Sacred Hearts Taryn Sutter LAYOUT EDITOR		St. Andrew's Maya Fegan STAFF WRITER
	St. Francis Gayle Acuna EDITOR		Waiakea Stacey Torigoe EDITOR
	Waialua Mikia Weidenbach EDITOR IN CHIEF		Waianae Malie Pine CO-EDITOR IN CHIEF
	Waipahu Brandon Nicolas GRAPHIC DESIGNER