News: Loudoun Valley Saga Student Staff Sweeps Awards

Purcellville (Nov. 3, 2010) - The Loudoun Valley High School yearbook staff has received three major awards at the national and state levels, while also placing in 16 individual awards categories at the state level.

As school began, the staff of the “Saga” discovered that it has been awarded an All-American with Five Marks of Distinction from the National Scholastic Press Association and a Gold Medalist with three All-Columbians from Columbia Scholastic Press Association. These awards are the highest given in the critique of each of the organizations. In the spring, the staff will learn if they have placed in the next level of competition.


At the Virginia High School League (VHSL) and Jostens Regional Publications Championship Luncheon on October 4th in Chantilly, the “Saga” received a number of staff and individual awards. The staff accepted its fourth Charles E. Savedge Award for Sustained Excellence in Scholastic Journalism, becoming the only publication in Virginia to receive a fourth distinction in this category.

The staff's previous Savedge awards were received in 1995, 2000 and 2005.

The Savedge Award is presented to publications that have earned VHSL Trophy Class distinction five times within a seven-year period. This year, six publications received that distinction.

Additionally, the staff received its 26th consecutive trophy award for the 2010 “Saga.” This award is the first in the process of the staff working toward its next Savedge award.

In individual awards, “Saga” staff members took six of 10 first-place awards in the AAA Yearbook Division and added another 10 awards for a total of 16 individual recognitions. These contests spotlight individual student work in newspaper, yearbook and literary magazine publishing for the past year. At total of 1,144 entries were received from 45 participating schools, 23 of them representing Group AAA with 556 entries.

Contest entries were evaluated using a two-phase, volunteer judging system featuring active and/or retired VHSL advisers. All judges review entries from a school of a different grouping than their own. Phase I judges narrow total entries to the top five submissions per category. These five entries serve as contest finalists. In Phase II, judges work as a team to rank the finalists as first, second and third place. Judges may also designate an honorable mention.

“Saga” staff members received the following awards in the Group AAA Yearbook Competition:

Concept Packaging: First Place, Loudoun Valley

Student Life Spread: First Place, Morgan Clark

Third Place, Emily Grunwald

Academics Spread: First Place, Elena Vanderveldt

Second Place, Elena Vanderveldt

Third Place, Elena Vanderveldt

Clubs/Organizations Spread: Second Place, Casey Crouse

Honorable Mention, Connie Lewis

Sports Spread: First Place, Mahimi Saini and Jess Finn

People Spread: First Place, Emily Grunwald

Third Place, Anusha Rizvi

Feature Photo: First Place, Helene Lehr

Sports Photo: Second Place, Jenny Fleischer

Advertising: Third Place, Staff

Secondary Packaging: Second Place, Anusha Rizvi