42Fifty is proud of its history of scholastic journalism excellence. Please see the awards below earned by the students in this publication from the Northern Illinois Scolastic Press Association (NISPA).
In March, 2024, 42Fifty earned NISPA’s Gold Certificate for Web Publications; this is the highest honor Web Publications may earn (there are three possible designations – Bronze, Silver, or Gold). 42Fifty also earned a Golden Eagle for Web Publication; the Golden Eagle is the highest honor awarded to a publication for overall excellence; it was awarded to only two publications in the 2024 competition.
2024 Individual Awards:
- Feature Writing – Honorable Mention: “Ink 180 gives survivors a second chance” by Austin Lamb & Natalie Raabe:
- Breaking News – Honorable Mention: “Gun found in student’s bag at Oswego East” by Natalie Raabe
- Opinion – Honorable Mention: “A muddling of educational priorities: The impact of politics” by Ryker Stevenson & Ruby Williamson
- Editorial Writing – Honorable Mention: “Staff Editorial: Fixing the attendance problems at OH” by Ryker Stevenson & Gianna King
- Photography – Honorable Mention: “OH Cheer coaches receive prestigious award” by Ruby Williamson
- Entertainment – Honorable Mention: “New album from Pierce the Veil released after seven year hiatus” by Brianna Huerta
In March, 2023, 42Fifty student journalists earned the NISPA Gold Certificate for Web Publications in addition to the following individual awards:
- Breaking News – Honorable Mention: “Superintendent Sparlin announces retirement at Jan. 9 meeting” by Brady Monahan, Austin Lamb, and David Diaz –
- Feature Writing – Honorable Mention: David Diaz – “OH Custodial Staff: The unsung heroes of our school” by David Diaz
- Graphics – Honorable Mention: “OH Custodial Staff: The unsung heroes of our school” by David Diaz
- Photography – Honorable Mention: Featured Image for “OHS boys basketball co-hosts Hoops 4 Healing Tournament to support Camp Hope” by Jaylene Garcia
- Profile Writing – Honorable Mention: “Michael Holmstrom: A freshman golfer who drove his way onto the varsity team” by Trinity Heard
- Sports Feature Writing – Honorable Mention: “‘Trust your training’: Audra Soderlind races to the top” by Lilliana Murillo
- News Writing – Honorable Mention: “Dress code changes less restrictive, more inclusive” by Ava Szekely and Natalie Raabe
In February, 2022, 42Fifty earned its second Golden Eagle for student web publication excellence. Below are the individual awards earned by students:
2022 Team In-Depth (Blue Ribbon Award):
- “Administrators, teachers struggling to enforce COVID-19 protocols in the cafeteria” by Miranda Mahoney, Managing Editor
- “SD308 enforces mask mandate amid statewide lawsuit controversy” by Austin Lamb, Miranda Mahoney, Raelyn Alvarez, and Brady Monahan, 42Fifty Editors
- “Student workers stress & mental health suffer due to labor shortage” by Abraham Gallegos, News Editor
- “Planned mask rally at OHS showed no participants” by Rae Barry and Tori Trevino, 42Fifty Editors
- “Bus driver shortage forces remote learning for some OH, Traughber students” by Kira Farooqui, Rae Barry, and Tori Trevino, 42Fifty Editors
- “Staff Editorial: OHS needs to do a better job of wearing and enforcing masks” by the 42Fifty Editorial Staff
Other 2022 Awards:
- Breaking News – Blue Ribbon Award: “SD308 enforces mask mandate amid statewide lawsuit controversy” by Austin Lamb, Miranda Mahoney, Raelyn Alvarez, and Brady Monahan, 42Fifty Editors
- Individual In-Depth – Honorable Mention: “Administrators, teachers struggling to enforce COVID-19 protocols in the cafeteria” by Miranda Mahoney, Managing Editor
- Photography – Honorable Mention: “Panthers reclaim their Crosstown Championship title after a crushing loss to the Wolves (photos)” by Kira Farooqui, Sports Editor
- Graphics – Honorable Mention: “Mental health issues in athletes (graphic)” by Jasper Palleson, Art Editor
- Features – Honorable Mention: “Introducing the Muslim Student Association at OHS” by Trinity Heard, Features & Multimedia Editor
In Feb. 2021, 42Fifty earned a Silver Certificate and multiple individual awards from NISPA. Below, please see the individual awards from the 2021 competition:
- Sports Writing – Blue Ribbon Award (first in division): “Girls BB: OH takes rubber match over OE, moves on to regional final” by Alex Mielcarz
- Column Writing – Blue Ribbon Award: “The SPC playoff experiment of 2021 should stay long after COVID” by Alex Mielcarz
- Review Writing – Honorable Mention: “‘The Haunting of Bly Manor’ is a must-watch this spooky season” by Tori Trevino
- Cartooning – Honorable Mention: “As the district plans to reopen…” by Caylen Palleson
- Graphics – Honorable Mention: “SAD: The fight against yourself (accompanying graphic)” by Caylen Palleson
- Team In Depth – Honorable Mention: “Spring 2020 COVID-19 Coverage” by 42Fifty Staff
- News Writing – Honorable Mention: “OHS switches to distance learning after school closure” by Evan Keck
- Editorial Writing – Honorable Mention: “Remote learning for all: Where 308 should start 2020-2021” by 42Fifty Editorial Staff
In Feb. 2019, 42Fifty earned a Gold Certificate and its first Golden Eagle from NISPA. Below are the individual awards from the competition:
2019 Individual Awards:
- Feature Writing – Honorable Mention: “‘I am now myself:’ Coming out as bisexual in Oswego” by David Brant
- Column Writing – Blue Ribbon: “The need for tighter security at OHS” by Ben Larson
- Sports Writing – Honorable Mention: “Parker leads Panthers to blowout win over Crosstown rival OE” by Alex Mielcarz
42Fifty is the student media Publication of Oswego High School, Oswego, IL. Stories attributed to 42Fifty are written by editorial staff, or in the case of staff editorial, reflect a quorum of the student staff's ideas and opinions. To learn more about the 42Fifty staff, please see the About or Our Staff page on the website.
