CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM Waianae High School won first place overall for the Hawaii State High School Journalism Awards yesterday. Pictured clockwise from left are Chonte Fujioka (editor), Catherine Beaver (graphics adviser), Healii Keawe, Sheryl Dumancas, Jazlyn Wandasan and Lorraine Gershun (adviser). CLICK FOR LARGE

Waianae High takes journalism title

The program earns top honors while Best Overall Issue goes to Farrington for the eighth time in the last nine years

WAIANAE and Farrington high schools, which have been named as the top journalism programs in the past, were once again in the running for the top spot in the 37th annual Hawaii State High School Journalism Contest.

Waianae came out on top -- in a newly created top prize called Best Overall Journalism Program in the awards ceremony at the Pagoda Hotel.

Two years ago the two schools tied for Best Newspaper -- then the top prize in the contest.

This year, that category has been renamed as Best Overall Issue, and Farrington won. This was the eighth time in the last nine years that Farrington's Governor has bested the others in this category.

Thirty-two schools, public and private, competed in the contest, sponsored by the Hawaii Publishers Association, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and the Honolulu Advertiser.

Lorraine Gershun, teacher/adviser of Ka Leo O Waianae, was not surprised at the win, although her staff was.

"I'm just so proud of them. ... They're hard-working and dedicated students," Gershun said. "They took ownership of what they did -- they chose the stories, the angles of the stories, designed the layouts. They're very multitalented."

She said many of her students are also her yearbook students who transferred their talents for photography and design to the newspaper course, which she has taught for the past 10 years.

A large load was carried by the three seniors on her staff who brought four years each of news-writing and yearbook experience, Gershun said. The seniors are Editor in Chief Chonte Fujioka, Jazlyn Wandasan and Sheryl Dumancas (also named Waianae's Most Valuable Staffer); and they all want careers in journalism.

Fujioka said the newswriting course trained them to do "a lot more writing and was deadline-driven, fast paced. There was emphasis on the facts and keeping our opinion out of the story.

"We worked really hard, and because we're seniors we wanted to make this year our best," Fujioka said.

Gershun said her students are aware that Waianae and other rural schools have a reputation for social and economic ills.

"Our kids, knowing that reputation, say, 'We want to change that. We want to show people that great things happen in Waianae.'

"Working for the newspaper is one way to do that. That's what I like about this group. They want to take on the real issues. Waianae is a diverse community -- not just what you read in the headlines," Gershun said.

FARRINGTON Co-Editor Dova Rabusa said, "There was a lot of pressure for us to repeat (as top winner), but we did our best. Now we know we have to be more careful." Copy editor Shazarae Kaanehe explained that "we failed to recognize that the conclusion of a story was cut off" during the transition to a new page design system.

Jo-Ann Mastin, adviser/newswriting teacher for Farrington, said her students' willingness to work their hardest no matter what the circumstances "makes me the most proud."

"(And) I'm so proud of the public school system -- that we can produce great things. There's a lot of winners from public schools here ... and I'm just so proud of Waianae," she said.

People say they won't put their kids in a public school because they won't achieve excellence, Mastin said, "but we can do as much as anyone if we work hard and are devoted."

Jay Hartwell, adviser of the University of Hawaii student newspaper and a contest judge, said the competition was so close in the Best Overall Journalism Program category that the third-place winner, Nanakuli High, was only 10.5 points behind Waianae's top score of almost 129 points (out of a possible high of 165 points).

Farrington and Kamehameha Schools tied for second place in the Best Overall award and were only 1.4 points behind Waianae, Hartwell said.

Merit awards for best "established" newspaper went to Mililani; for "intermediate," Iolani; and for "beginning," Waialua.

Ahromi Wang of Pearl City High won the $150 design award for the cover art on the contest's program.

Most Valuable Staffers

The most valuable staff member as selected by the staff of each high school newspaper: