Grace Nguyen, Section Editor

1. “Column: Support the Soles,” Alexis Russell

This column was written really well, and I love that Alexis Russell expressed how she felt. The Nike controversy with Colin Kaepernick and his actions on trying to make people aware of the oppression of minorities was such a big deal. When I saw the story go up, I was so happy that Alexis was able to cover the topic and give her opinion. Shae also created an amazing image for the story.

2. “Trick or Treat on the midway,” Alexis Russell, Joeley Hedgcoxe and Lily Hager

I had never seen another newspaper do anything like this State Fair Preview. We cranked out a load of stories in a short amount of time, but they were all well-written and thought out. I think the fact that we did the preview really put us on a different level from other newspapers because it was content that nobody else was covering or that I had personally seen. Every photo essay, feature story, news brief and review was really executed well, and it shows how hard our staff works.

 3. “UIL State Championship Volleyball Photo Galleries,” Grace Nguyen

Having our volleyball team go to the state championships is such an amazing thing to accomplish, and being able to capture the essence of what it was like to go through their playoffs game and come out second in the state was such a once in a lifetime experience for me. The photos tell an amazing story about the volleyball team’s road to state, and it was a huge opportunity to have staff writer Alexis Russell and myself cover the experience.

4. “Don’t judge ‘Coop’ by its cover,” Kelsey Carroll

Section editor Kelsey Carroll did a phenomenal job on this story. Her five months of story writing and photos really captured everything that Mr. Cooper is. The story is so well put together and includes a video, photos as he went through his book quest, and an infographic. This story shows how hard she works for The Red Ledger and how good of a writer and photographer she is.

5. “Senior Goodbye: Scream your heart out,” Nick Smith

Nick Smith is just an amazing writer, no doubt about it. He found the positives in being a Lovejoy Leopard, and I liked that he highlighted on it and wasn’t afraid to say what he wanted to say. It also gives out a really positive vibe which I enjoy. Senior goodbyes are always such staple and capture each person and what they were like as a high school student. Nick’s was spot on.