To be number one at State, you have to be willing to take chances that other people won’t.  Freshman Quincey Epley did just that when she fearlessly stepped through the door of the room where the Director of Instrumental Activities Kevin McLouth was practicing his trumpet at the State Journalism competition at Northeast Community College in Norfolk, NE.  “The door was shut, and people kept peeking but weren’t brave enough to go in.  I knocked on the door and asked if I could come in to take pictures, and I was really happy with how the shot turned out,” Epley said.  During the Awards ceremony at the end of the day, Epley said, “I was hoping to maybe get sixth and just have a place on the stage. I saw some of the work of the kid who got sixth and thought ‘if he got sixth, I’m definitely not going to place.’”  Not only did Epley place, she won; becoming the number one news/feature photographer among all Class A schools in the state of Nebraska. “I owe a lot of my success to Ms. Larson because she’s pushed me.  If I didn’t get a good enough shot, she’d push me to go back and get another one.  She’s the person who got me into photography, and I ended up really liking it and having a passion for it,” said Epley. The last time North Platte took home the first place award for state journalism was back in 1977.

Sophomore Haley McKain went in knowing she would be winning an award, but she wasn’t sure which place she would get.  McKain was the only person in her category of in-depth reporting to do her entire series without the collaboration of a group, and she placed fourth in the state even still.  “When the man giving medals asked if I had done the series alone and I said yes, one of the girls who had won first place with her group said ‘Wow, good job,’ and high-fived me,” McKain said.  “I didn’t want to take this class at the beginning of the year and I didn’t want to continue with it, so I’m really proud of how far I’ve come from then,” said McKain. “Journalism has always been an option for my future, but now that I know that I’m good at it, it makes me consider it as a career choice.  This experience has made me more confident in my work,” said McKain.  

Not every North Platte High School journalist who competed won an award, but the experience was enriching regardless. “It was pretty cool.  I’ve been doing this for a while but I never even knew state existed until this year,” said senior Riley Epley, “It was worth it just to be in an atmosphere of kids who are into the same stuff I am.” R. Epley also said that he went out of his element in reviewing oats from a granola store instead of bad movies.  Junior Syble Heffernan was also out of her element, competing in the editorial category. “I went into this event having no clue what to expect.  I would have loved to win, but the experience in itself (even the nervous sweating and my head being numb after I wrote my piece) was so eye opening and I wouldn’t change it for anything. From navigation issues, to the hotel, to endless laughs in the car, to the State competition itself, this journey was truly unforgettable,” she said.   

“I may not have placed, but you know what?  I’m not upset.  I never planned to join journalism, I never planned on going to state championships, and I never planned on enjoying it so much,” said sophomore Kaitlyn Slinker.  “These were big schools.  Only five of us qualified, only two of us won.  That’s an amazing accomplishment,” said Slinker.  Senior editor-in-chief Ethan Darling said, “I’ve watched these students grow and progress.  Leaps and bounds have been made in this program, not only on the individual level but as a whole.  I’m so proud of my staff for what they’ve accomplished, and I can’t wait to see the quality content they will produce in the future.”  “I didn’t really expect much out of this experience, but it turned out to be kind of a big deal!” said McKain.