News: Stone Bridge Senior Kelsey O'Connell Named VHSL Student Journalist of the Year

Charlottesville (Mar. 23, 2010) - Kelsey O’Connell, editor-in-chief of The Bulldog Tribune and a senior at Stone Bridge High School is the Virginia High School League’s 2010 Student Journalist of the Year and Charles Savedge Scholarship recipient. She is the twelfth winner in the contest’s 20-year history to be selected from the Northern Region.

“Kelsey put together an impressive package,” said VHSL Director of Activities Lisa Giles. “She clearly demonstrated her gift for writing, and her personal essay revealed that she has the kind of determination and tenacity that it takes to achieve goals despite road blocks and red tape.”

Seventeen schools representing eight of 12 VHSL regions nominated students for this annual award. The Northern Region, of which Stone Bridge High School is a part, sent forth three nominations. Regions A, B, D and IV were not represented.

O’Connell was the unanimous choice of a three-person selection committee composed of college journalism educators and a professional journalist.

O’Connell has been involved with high school journalism since she was a freshman. As a sophomore and junior, she served as managing editor of the The Bulldog Tribune, which was the only Loudoun County school paper to achieve VHSL’s coveted Trophy Class ranking in 2008-09.

"I believe Kelsey’s redesign is the major reason the paper earned a Trophy,” said Stone Bridge High School newspaper adviser Jo Ellen Sholl.

The same year, O’Connell interned at a local paper The Loudoun Easterner and also received 3rd Place for Bylined Personal Opinion/Column in the VHSL Writing/Photo/Design Contest with her piece, “Facebook Gets a Little Too Personal.”

As a senior, Editor-in-Chief O’Connell supervises section editors and staff writers, and will help train new staff members in newspaper layout and design by leaving them with a PowerPoint teaching tool that she created.

“Her legacy will be that under her leadership, The Bulldog Tribune became the best student newspaper in Loudoun County and one of the best in the state of Virginia,” said Sholl. Under her direction, the paper also began publishing an online edition.

Demonstrated journalistic qualities, leadership, persistence and innovation led the selection committee to name Kelsey O’Connell as the VHSL Student Journalist of the Year. “She has the qualities of those successful in the field,” said one judge.

O’Connell maintains a 4.09 grade point average, has applied for admission to and has been accepted by James Madison University and Elon University. She awaits notification from the University of Notre Dame, Colgate, Wake Forest and the College of William and Mary.

About the Charles Savedge Scholarship / Student Journalist of the Year Award
Named in honor of the celebrated publications adviser who was affectionately known as “Mr. Yearbook,” this award began in 1991 when Jason Roop, editor of Style Weekly magazine in Richmond, was the first recipient. Each year, VHSL member schools may nominate one candidate for consideration. Complete applications will consist of a one-page, typed, double-spaced essay written by the student which describes the significance that participation in publications has had in his/her life; a journalism-specific resume to include staff involvement and leadership positions, internships conferences attended, awards received, etc.; two samples of work that best represents the student’s journalistic abilities and contributions to student or community publications; and a letter of recommendation that addresses the student’s contributions to publications and the qualities that best describe the nominee.

About VHSL
An alliance of Virginia’s public high schools, the 311 member schools of the Virginia High School League (VHSL) serve the Commonwealth’s youth by establishing and maintaining standards for student activities and competitions that promote education, personal growth, sportsmanship, leadership and citizenship. Nearly 200,000 students participate in 28 different sports and eight academic activities, culminating in 86 state championships each year.