Network Becomes Newest Member of the Nebraska Cornhusker Hall of Fame
Marian’s student newspaper, the Network, was honored Monday, Oct. 21, as the second Nebraska student publication to earn Cornhusker Hall of Fame status. This recognition honors school publications that earn a Cornhusker Award from the Nebraska High School Press Association (NHSPA) for at least 10 of 11 consecutive years. The first award went to Millard…
Marian’s student newspaper, the Network, was honored Monday, Oct. 21, as the second Nebraska student publication to earn Cornhusker Hall of Fame status. This recognition honors school publications that earn a Cornhusker Award from the Nebraska High School Press Association (NHSPA) for at least 10 of 11 consecutive years. The first award went to Millard West’s Prowler Yearbook in the fall of 2023.
At the NHSPA Convention at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln on Monday, The Network also won a Cornhusker for 2024, which makes 11 in 12 years. To showcase the leadership of the student paper over the last 12 years, a little staff research was conducted.
2025 Network Editor Nika Kouassi, Yearbook Photo Editor Elizabeth Buescher and Network Graphics Editor Abby McGuire accept the Hall of Fame Award on behalf of the last 11 years of Network staffs.Current Journalism and Broadcasting students attend the NHSPA Fall Convention in Lincoln on Oct. 21. Broadcast students wear the new blue sweatshirts and Journalism students continue the green sweatshirt tradition that has been around since 1999. Kennedy Grace’26 holds the Hall of Fame Award and Nyah Bell’25 holds the Network 24 Cornhusker on the steps of the UNL Student Union on city campus.
Take a browse through the Network staff photos and leadership to see who contributed to this award:
2024 Network Editor Martha Engel
Editor Martha Engel (large image) and then from top left down: Olivia Franklin, Scarlett Henery, Ellie Peter, Brooke Herdzina, Korina Liekhus, Ruthie Barrett, Sophia Reinhardt, Mariella Virgillito, Maya Zier, Lily Biggs, Mia Butler, Shelby Gerken, Madi Shaffar & Reagan Graeve.
Front Row: Maggie Prosser, Grace Sall, Delaney Stekr, Audrey Yost, Anna Cook, Julia Hingorani, Maddie Robertson, Samantha Fabian. Middle Row: Allison Ostapowicz, Audrey Hertel, Abby McLaughlin, Hailey Rydel, Lily Watkins, Maria Determan, Julia Veik. Back Row: Katherine Martin, Shannon McSweeney, Sofy Herrera, Hailey Golden.
2017 Network Carmen Miller & Isabelle Swanson
2016 Network Tessa McLaughlin & Clara Wertzberger
2015 Network Katie Pallesen & Megan Smith
2014 Network Editors Sloan Nelson & Connor Silvey
Front Row: Christina Chapman, Lizzie Erftmier, Lauren Koperski, Sarah Brashear, Courtney Boler, Sloan Nelson, Maria Mathey, Lauren Tondl, Reilly Meyer, Honor Fredrick. Back Row: Araya Sando, Conner Silvey, Sydney O’ Shaughnessy, Lori Nevole, Emily Birkel, Betsy Ryan, Madison Kenney, Ellen Townley, Nora Neary, Maddie Grace.
Mrs. Kalkowski, the adviser since 1995, encourages any of the staffers from the last 12 years to add a comment below and share a fun Network memory and a quick update on what you are doing now or how being on the Network staff impacted you.
8 responses to “Network Becomes Newest Member of the Nebraska Cornhusker Hall of Fame”
Nina McMullen
This is so amazing! I was the editor for 2023 and am so proud to have been a small piece to the puzzle.
After Marian I started at New York University majoring in Film & TV. I currently work at Saturday Night Live as a production assistant. I’ve made upwards of 30 films and counting, each one making me more proud to do what I do.
Marian gave me the grit and drive to open the doors I have opened. I am forever grateful to Marian and The Network 🙂
So proud of these talented writers, thinkers, and leaders! Your commitment to thoughtful journalism makes a difference in the Marian community and beyond. Congratulations on this well-deserved honor!
Congratulations to Mrs. Kalkowski and the generations of young journalists she has inspired! We are SO PROUD of all of you! I loved browsing through the photos of the Network staffs from the last decade. So many great memories of all you stellar students!
I LOVE all the past staff pictures! How cool to see the newspaper through the generations.
MAJOR CONGRATS on becoming members of the Cornhusker Hall of Fame. The fact that only TWO programs have done this shows just how awesome you all are! Keep up the good work.
I was a member of the Network in 2012 and it is amazing to see that “Ink Lasts Forever” is true! I had so much fun serving as the front page editor and coordinating the photos and layout for each month’s front page. In our “Technology Issue” back in 2011, I convinced a fellow senior to be photographed in a dark closet while typing on a lit laptop screen. I wanted to depict the feeling of navigating the world wide web. The real challenge was figuring out how to create a QR code to feature on the front page – a real technological feat at the time! I enjoyed working with students to take photos for the front page and laying out the photos and text in InDesign – a tool I still use every day.
I’m not a journalist like I thought I might be in high school, but the skills I learned in Ms. Kalkowski’s classroom have helped me in countless ways – from scholarship applications in college, to being a critical and educated consumer of media, to my current job as a Proposal Manager at HDR Engineering in Omaha.
In my role at HDR, I receive requests for proposals (RFPs) from clients that detail their requirements for delivering a project and it’s my responsibility to lead proposal development to help us win the work, including the development of winning strategies, preparation of proposal documents and presentations, quality review, and coaching presentation teams.
Congratulations to the Marian journalism community, this is fantastic! I am proud to call myself a Network alum.
This is so very exciting! I am so grateful for the time I had as editor and I am still so proud of the work we did last year. It’s truly amazing to see how it’s still being celebrated. The Cornhusker Hall of Fame is a big deal, and I feel so lucky to be included in this!
Wow!! I am so honored to have been a part of this wonderful program. Mrs. Kalkowski has created such talented journalists! I learned so much about journalism, what it means to be a great teacher and what it means to be a good person from that woman. Being a part of this newspaper was my favorite memory of High School, one that I will never forget and I am so honored to have been a part of this wonderful legacy. Congrats Crusaders!!!
Congratulations, everyone! I’m very late in my support but I’m glad to give it––this is such an awesome honor! I was one of the Managing Editors of the 2016 Network, and now serve as a high school English teacher and Yearbook adviser. Being a part of this program was such a gift and has absolutely shaped how I teach now. Mrs. K always encouraged us to step up and believe in ourselves, and I will never forget her determined positivity. The Network, and Marian’s English department, make me proud to be a Marian girl!
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