At the Nebraska Press Women 2025 High School Communications Contest Awards Luncheon in Gretna on Sat., April 12, three seniors represented Marian.

The full list of Marian winners from the Nebraska Press Women includes:

• (Category – Place – Entrant – Actual Entry )
• Single-Page Layout -1st – Dominika Kouassi – Dec Front Page
• Editorial – 2nd – Natalie Else – Does Swiping Away Wipe Away Violence
• Review – 2nd – Natalie Else  – Out with the New, In with the Old
• Radio or Podcast Prepared Report – 2nd – Leyla Zier & Aubrey Prouse – Inside the Minds Podcast
• Video Feature Story – 2nd – Rosa Flores – Marian girls in music
• Graphics / Photo Illustration – 3rd – Abigail McGuire – Struggling to Find Solutions to Sustainable Recycling, the Orange Bag Returns
• Best Newscast – 3rd – Alena Kehm, Sophia Shillcut & Kelsey Bragg – Oct. 16 Marian M-Beat
• Feature Story – HM – Elena Burt – Senior soars through the summer sky
• Environment – HM – Abigail McGuire – Struggling to Find Solutions to Sustainable Recycling, the Orange Bag Returns
• Opinion – HM – Catherine Zinna – New Set of Wheels or Good Deals
• News or Feature Photo – HM – Elizabeth Buescher – Greased Lightning
• Video News Story – HM – Slaine Regan & Ella Thibodeau – Walk-A-Thon, Marian’s Student Fundraiser
• News or Feature Photo – HM – Mary McKay – Down Dancing
• Editorial – HM – Ava Weis – True Meaning of Christmas Involves Presence, Not Presents

“The contest was very competitive,” Contest Director Sherry Thompson said. “We had a total of 347 entries in 23 categories – with some categories having more than 25 entries. Receiving awards is a testament to students doing great work.”

NPW provided a complimentary lunch for any student who received a first-place award. Second and third-place winners were also invited to attend. All students who received a first, second or third-place award and attended the luncheon were recognized on stage with their entry projected behind them on the big screen. Three Sweepstakes Awards were presented to Millard South, Millard North and Gretna East.

The lunch speaker was Dr. Carol Zuegner, former Associated Press copy editor and 27-year Creighton University journalism professor. Her presentation talk about “Journalism – What Lies Ahead.” Dr. Zuegner is a Marian graduate from 1973.

The conference session before lunch featured another Marian graduate, Erin Grace, the Director of Strategic Communications and External Relations at the National Counterterrorism, Innovation, Technology and Education Center at University of Nebraska at Omaha. She talked about the transition between news and her 22-year career at the Omaha World Herald and her journey into Public Relations. Grace graduated from Marian in 1991. Her biography slide gave a huge shout out to Marian and her time as the Network editor.

The conference session after lunch featured Natalia Alamdari from the Flatwater Free Press. She talked about her series on immigration, “Nebraska Evolving”– from census data to human stories.

As it is always rewarding to connect Crusaders across the years, the Marian girls in attendance at the conference joined for a photo at the end of the day.

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At the University of Nebraska at Omaha Student Media Conference on Fri., April 11, Marian had a strong showing. Marian competed in the Division B category for non-broadcasting entries based on size of school. All Divisions were judged together for the broadcasting contests.

• Overall Newspaper – First – Marian Network (staff) Network Newspaper
• Newspaper Single-page Layout – First – Elena Burt (Feature Editor) Feature Page
• News Broadcast – First – MBeat Broadcast (team) MBeat Broadcast from Dec. 13
• News/Feature Photograph – Second – Elizabeth Buescher (YB photo editor) Singing Through the Smoke of Greased Lightning
• Newspaper Two-Page (Double Spread) Layout – Second – Isabel Campie (Indepth Editor) Indepth September
• Sports Story – Second – Isabel Campie (Indepth Editor) What it takes to be a national swimmer
• Editorial Writing – Second – Natalie Else (Opinion Editor) Does Swiping Away Wipe Away Violence
• Feature Story (Video) – Second – Madeline Iske (MBeat Producer) Feature on Lauren’s Great Grandmother
• Cartoon – Third – Elizabeth Wepfer (cartoonist) Broken Exam Culture
• Feature Story – Third – Elena Burt (Feature Editor) Senior Soars at Skydiving
• News Story – Third – Dominika Kouassi (Network editor) New Research in Period Products
• Newspaper Single-page Layout – Third – Mary McKay (Photo Editor) Photo Essay Sept
• Newspaper Two-Page (Double Spread) Layout – Third – Isabel Campie (Indepth Editor) Indepth December
• Long-form – Third – Aubrey Prouse (Producer), Leyla Zier (Producer) Inside the Mind podcast: Importance of Movement
• News Broadcast – Third – MBeat Broadcast (team) MBeat for Feb. 10, 2025
• Sports Story (Video) – Third – Zoey Jacobson (Producer), Savanna Bradley (Producer) Marian Athletic Center

Speakers at the UNO conference included: Todd Cooper (former OWH news writer), Gina Dvorak (WOWT, Digital Director), Nikos Frazier (Omaha-World Herald, Photo/Video Editor), Liz Merrill (ESPN sports writer) Ana Bellinghausen & Avarie Howard (Hurrdat sports) and Samantha Pasterino (KETV, reporter). The keynote address was given by award-winning ESPN reporter Holly Rowe. Rowe’s presentation was particularly powerful for the Marian audience as it was about empowerment and dedication to the craft of storytelling.