The Massachusetts Scholastic Press Association (MASPA) has named three Newton South High School seniors — Bella Ishanyan, Miles Pearlman, and Emma Zhang — to its 12-member All-State High School Journalism Staff. MASPA also chose Bella Ishanyan as its High School Journalist of the Year.
Bella Ishanyan and Emma Zhang are co-editors in chief of the NSHS Lion’s Roar, and they both write for Fig City News. Miles Pearlman is co-editor-in-chief of the NSHS Denebola.
To compete for these awards, students submitted portfolios of their work, a reflection, and a resume, based on criteria set by the national Journalism Education Association (JEA). See portfolios for Ishanyan, Pearlman, and Zhang.
As state High School Journalist of the Year, Ishanyan will now compete at the national level. JEA will name national winners and runners up, along with scholarship awards, at its annual convention, April 4-6 in Kansas City.
NSHS English chair and MASPA executive director Brian Baron organized this year’s contest and engaged a panel of outside judges, given the presence of three NSHS students among the applicants.
Here are portfolios for the other members of the MASPA 2024 All State High School Journalism staff: Paige Ablon (Wellesley), Jeffrey Asaredanquah (Weston), Ezra Kleinbaum (Brookline), Evan Michaeli (Brimmer and May), Tyler Mignault (Nashoba Regional), Daniel O’Toole (Malden), Nola Patty (Oakmont Regional), Grace Tucceri (Franklin), and Hadjar Yousfi (Malden).