YOUNGSTOWN — Four student journalists from Cardinal Mooney High School were recognized for excellence in reporting at the 2025 Youngstown Press Club Scholastic Journalism Awards, an annual contest celebrating high school media work throughout the Mahoning Valley.
A representative of the Youngstown Press Club attend Cardinal Mooney’s annual awards ceremony on May 22 to present the students with their awards.
The awardees are:
- Payton Campbell, Best Editorial, for “AI in the Classroom: A Tool for Learning or a Shortcut to Cheating?”
- Chayce Giddens, Best Feature Story, for “Our Halls are Alive with ‘The Sound of Music’”
- Ben Oddis, Best Sports News Story, for “Gomez Chooses Walsh”
- Amira Brown, Best News Story, for “Jennifer Policy Nominated for Educator of the Year”
“Our students are learning about the importance journalism plays in our society,” said Cardinal Mooney journalism teacher Vince Taddei. “With that knowledge, they’ve gone out into the school community, and through research and interviews, collected information, which they’ve molded into stories that serve the interest of our readership.”
About the Scholastic Journalism Awards!
For 81 years, Youngstown State University hosted Press Day, a staple for area high school journalists featuring workshops, speakers, networking, and a writing contest. That tradition was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, the Youngstown Press Club has revived and expanded that legacy with the Scholastic Journalism Awards. The contest highlights excellence in print, broadcast, and multimedia journalism among students in Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana, Lawrence, and Mercer counties.
Students are invited to compete in 13 categories, with special recognition for the Scholastic Journalist of the Year and Journalism Adviser of the Year.
“We at the Youngstown Press Club believe that a high school news curriculum is often where the seed is planted for young people to develop into great journalists,” said Mark Sweetwood, contest director. “Many working journalists today got their start in Valley classrooms. We’re proud to recognize and encourage the next generation of storytellers.”
Cardinal Mooney congratulates these students for their outstanding work and thanks the Youngstown Press Club for continuing this important tradition.
Please see the entire list of awardees here.
All of the stories from Cardinal Mooney Beakon staff writers can be read here.