Dietel leads with 11 awards
Members of the West Bend Current set a school record with 28 individual awards in a statewide contest for high school journalists.
Fourteen writers for the Current, a news website produced by students at West Bend East and West High Schools, were recognized in the 2019 Northeastern Wisconsin Scholastic Press Association contest. The student reporters earned first place in eight categories and the website earned blue ribbon honors in the publication category.
“Once again this year, your website is chock-full of thorough, thoughtful coverage,” one of the judges said.
Editor in chief Samantha Dietel led the staff with 11 awards, placing first in five categories. She received top honors in a special, one-time category called Stories That Promote Change for her article about students asking the district to recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Entries were judged by Jamie Stark, a reporter known for covering Latin American issues like child migration, drones and Internet access.
Dietel’s five-part series about school safety earned top honors for in-depth reporting. Her investigation of the music department budget and interview with an East graduate who created the artwork for the 2018 Milwaukee Film Festival garnered blue ribbon honors for general news, feature news and news photo.
Caitlin Marsch took first place for her academic news reporting about the district’s decision to close Pathways Charter School. In the entertaining feature category, Lily Mottet received top recognition for her story about how leftover paint renewed the East/West rivalry. Abby Gawrych earned blue ribbon honors for a personality profile of a West graduate returning to teach choir.
The Current competed in the large school division of the NEWSPA contest. The student news site is advised by Eric Beltmann.
Full List of Awards
Samantha Dietel, Editor in Chief
- First place, Stories That Promote Change (“Student Club Wants Martin Luther King Jr. Day Recognized”)
- First place, In-Depth Reporting (School Safety Five-Part Series)
- First place, General News Story (“Music Department Surprised by Budget Changes”)
- First place, News Based Feature (“Welcome to the Dollhouse”)
- First place, News Photo (“Matuszak Directs”)
- Second place, Sports Feature (“WBHS Athletic Directors are Pioneers”)
- Second place, News Photo (“Crying for the Daily News”)
- Third place, News Based Feature (“‘Did You Hear Anything?’: Shutdown Keeps Area Family in Limbo”)
- Fourth place, Personality Profile (“The Student Becomes the Teacher”)
- Honorable mention, Academic News Story (“Museum Brings Artifacts to World History Students”)
- Honorable mention, Editorial (“Breaking the News: Why the Shakeup at the Local Paper Matters”)
Elise Marlett
- Second place, In-Depth Reporting (Youth Risk Behavior Survey Five-Part Series)
- Second place (shared), General News Story (“‘I Couldn’t Just Sit Back:’ Protest Organizers Call for Change”)
- Fourth place, Academic News Story (“Vandalism Won’t Spoil Black History Month Celebration”)
- Honorable mention, In-Depth Reporting (“County Health Officer ‘Floored’ by High Vaping Percentage Among Students”)
Lily Mottet
- First place, Entertaining Feature Story (“Leftover Paint Sparks Cross-Hall Rivalry”)
- Second place, Entertaining Feature Story (“Orchestra Department Has New Mascot”)
- Third place, Sports Feature (“Keeping the Beat for the Packers and the Bucks”)
Caitlin Marsch
- First place, Academic News Story (“Board Votes to Close Pathways Charter School”)
- Honorable mention, Academic News Story (“Teaching History Through Music”)
Abby Gawrych
- First place, Personality Profile (“Old Roots, New Beginnings”)
- Honorable mention (shared), In-Depth Reporting (“Decision 2018: Meet the Four Candidates for School Board”)
Kael Beltmann
- Third place, Entertaining Feature Story (“The Voice of West Bend Snow Days”)
- Fourth place, Sports News Story (“East Dance Program Recognized with National Award”)
Rachel Gergetz
- Second place, Academic News Story (“Engineering? Try Men-gineering”)
Auburn Larson
- Second place, Sports News Story (“That’s Snow Way to Practice”)
Justin Scherzer
- Third place, Academic News Story (“Head Start on College and Careers”)
Alissa Ihlenfeld
- Honorable mention, Sports News Story (“1,000 and Counting”)
Lauren Oppermann
- Second place (shared), General News Story (“‘I Couldn’t Just Sit Back:’ Protest Organizers Call for Change”)
Grace Peplinski
- Honorable mention (shared), In-Depth Reporting (“Decision 2018: Meet the Four Candidates for School Board”)
Priyanka Trivedi
- Honorable mention (shared), In-Depth Reporting (“Decision 2018: Meet the Four Candidates for School Board”)
Andrew Jung
- Honorable mention (shared), In-Depth Reporting (“Decision 2018: Meet the Four Candidates for School Board”)
The Current Website
- Blue ribbon honors
(Photo by Darick Fait for the Current.)
The West Bend Current 
Congratulations everyone!