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Published on 04/28/1997 All articles from this issue

Los Altos High newspaper is among the nation's best

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Submitted by the staff of the Talon at Los Altos High School

The staff of Los Altos High School's newspaper took top honors last week from a national convention. The Talon was named one of the nation's 10 best student papers.

Held this year in Phoenix, the JEA/NSPA National Convention awarded the Talon eighth place Best of Show among the nation's high school papers. The paper also took second in the state. More than 5,000 students and 1,500 schools were represented.

Fifteen journalism students from Los Altos and their adviser flew to a hotel in Phoenix for write-off competitions, keynote speeches and journalism workshops.

The 28-page February issue was submitted to professional journalists and judged on overall quality and design.

"Each of us spends at least 30 hours putting out an issue," said senior Jake Harrington, the paper's editor-in-chief. Harrington led this year's staff in making a number of changes to the paper's design and direction. "Being named one of the nation's best is really a good feeling. This paper has been our lives."

The Talon is produced every three weeks by a staff of 40. The class is student-run; staff members write stories, take photos, sell ads and are solely responsible for everything published. The paper is distributed to students and faculty, sent to 100 subscribers and distributed in downtown Los Altos.

The Talon strives to inform and entertain its readership of an estimated 5,000. This school year it has tackled issues ranging from teenage suicide to tattoos. The paper was praised four months ago for breaking a story on the arrest of an Egan coach.

This year's Best of Show award is the highest honor any staff in history has received. In 1992, however, the Talon did make the top 10 at a spring convention.

The paper's home page on the Internet has also been recognized for excellence. The web site, Talon Online (www.best.com/~latalon), was named one of the Bay Area's best by the Mercury News' Digital High. The site features an electronic version of each issue, restaurant reviews, a photo archive and a live video feed from the Mac Lab at Los Altos High School, where the paper is produced.

Receiving the award in Phoenix were the staff's newly-elected editors, who published their first issue two weeks ago. The new editors, who are juniors at Los Altos, said they hope to continue the newspaper's winning ways and maintain its reputation.

For the outgoing editorial staff, who will publish the souvenir "Senior Issue" in June, the ride is almost over. "For the editors, the newspaper has provided a rewarding - and time-consuming - experience," Harrington said. "The staff has faced head-on the challenges of real-world journalism. The students have spent many late nights working, struggled to manage their time and juggle activities and felt the pressure of their jobs. Now they are enjoying the glory."

Members of the Talon's award-winning editorial staff are: Jake Harrington, David Brunner, Marc Wang, Tammy Hwang, Eric Basart, Josh Bergen, Rhiannon Helebrandt, Erik Mann, Sarena Jaggia, Anselmo Diaz, Micah You, Alex Millie, Gleb Brichko, Dan Nelson, Jenny Marshall, Priya Rajendran, Labeba Alkhattat and Gordon Jack (adviser).

Yearly subscriptions to the Talon cost $20. Please call 960-8878 for more information.