The Mountie Spectrum went to Little Rock, AR, to celebrate a year of award-winning journalism at the Arkansas Scholastic Press Association (ASPA) conference from April 24-25. 

The Mountie Spectrum won All-Arkansas for the third year in a row — the highest bestowment possible for a student publication in the state —  with an additional three Best of ASPA individual awards, among many others.

“Of the Year Awards”

A special mention to the runner-ups for the “Of The Year Awards.” This award is dedicated to talented editors and writers who proved to be the best in the field of student journalism.

Eva Mundo – 1st Runner Up Designer of the Year

E.V. Beyers – 2nd Runner Up Editor of the Year

Isabelle Bonner – 2nd Runner Up Writer of the Year

Mailed In Awards

These awards are ones that were submitted and received Best of ASPA, Superior, Excellent, or Honorable Mention awards. In descending order: 

“Best of ASPA”

The “Best of ASPA” award is for the best of the very best submissions in their distinct categories, chosen from the pool of submissions that were awarded “Superior”. These graphics and stories encaptured readers, gave entrancing lines of thought, and were easy to follow.Colton Funck – Information Graphic

Eva Mundo – Front Page Design

Isabelle Bonner – Editorial

“Superior”

E.V. Beyers – Review

“Excellent”

Sebastian Perez – Sports Story

Isabelle Bonner – Editorial

Virginia Romero – Profile

Perron & Beyers – Column

Analyse Riley – Sports Column

Anastasia Phetsomphou – Feature on Service to School & Community

Eva Mundo & Isabelle Bonner – Infographic 

Isabelle Bonner – Opinion Page Design

Perron – Sports Page Design

Eva Mundo – News Story

Khanesia Muller – Infographic

E.V. Beyers – Feature Story

“Honorable Mention”

E.V. Beyers – Feature Story

Emilee Knight – News Photo

Isabelle Bonner – Feature Page Design

Perron – Editorial

“On-Site Competitions”

Prompted Competitions were given on day two of the conference. ASPA provided prompts in various categories in which students chose to compete. Students had a time limit to complete the task and submit their work. Each category offered prizes in a list of top three.

E.V. Beyers – 1st Place in Headlines/Captions/Copy-editing

Eva Mundo – 1st Place in Infographic Design

Isabelle Bonner – 3rd Place in Interviewing & Reporting

Colton Funck – 3rd Place in Editorial Cartoons