Media students set TVCC record at TIPA
Photo Credit: Ray Cumby
Kelly Davis, editor-in-chief of the News-Journal, looks at the awards the student media won at the 2012 TIPA competion.
Joshua Roberts, Staff Writer
April 2, 2012
Filed under New Stories, News, Student Media
The TVCC student media won 14 awards–the most in school history–at the 2012 Texas Intercollegiate Press Association competition in Corpus Christi, Texas. The previous record, 12, was set in 2006.
Students Kelly Davis, Joshua Roberts, Caitlin Tophinke, Jace White, Jacob Yarbrough, Adrian Price and student media adviser Deidre Bell Jones made the eight-hour trip where the students competed in on-site contests and attended journalism workshops.
“I can breathe a little easier now that the competition is over,” said media instructor and adviser, Deidre Jones. “I’m pleased we quadrupled the number of wins we had last year. I’m elated about the wins, but I’m looking forward to the students doing even better next year.”
The printed version of the News-Journal received honorable mention for overall excellence in Division 5 newspaper. Trinity Valley also received honorable mention awards in several categories. The News-Journal staff’s editorial, “Are students putting their lives in danger?” received an award. Other students who received honorable mention honors were Chardae Haynes-Cumby (photo illustration-Graduation); Renan Zorer (headline writing-Cardinals humming in spring); Adrian Price (sports column-Disgrace at Penn state: the demise of Paterno); and Joshua Roberts (sports news story-Sophomores lead the way for the Lady Cards).
Davis and Ravanae Bigsby received top honors for their stories. Davis’s story, TVCC rodeo is a family affair, won third in the feature sports category. Bigsby also placed third in sports column for her story, Cards still came out on top despite tourney upset.
The student media’s lone first place win went to photography student Kenya Balderas. Her picture for Davis’s rodeo story beat out all the other sports feature photos in Division 5.
This year was the first time TVCC students competed in the radio, literary magazine, TV and online contests. For those categories the division was open, and TVCC competed against other top journalism programs in Texas. Erin Gass received honorable mention for her picture in the “Songs from the Valley” literary magazine. Daniel Dan also received honorable mention for his poem entitled, Waking, which was also featured in the magazine. Sophomore Jamie Pettijohn received honorable mention for her radio documentary. And arts and entertainment editor Yarbrough won honorable mention for best online multimedia package for American Horror Story.
White, a sophomore from Frankston, Texas, was recognized for the on-site television announcing contest at TIPA. He received honorable mention, beating several competitors from schools with established TV stations.
“The TIPA competition gave us a taste of the real world,” said Kelly Davis, editor-in-chief of the News-Journal. “It was also an awesome experience, for those of us who competed in the events and placed.”
