Live Wire Awards

IHSPA Scholars 2025

Addison Pirkl
Kaelyn Rickels
Avery Riehl
Elaina McDonald

IHSPA Spring Contest 2025

Second Place:

Social justice reporting ‘Food desert and insecurity in Iowa’: Paige Lambi
Column/opinion ‘The healthcare epidemic’: Amelia Marquardt

Third Place:

News story: school/local ‘ICCSD implements new attendance policy’: Rebecca Matiyabo

Honorable Mention:

Reviews: ‘Kaelyn’s cut: “Tender is the Flesh”’: Kaelyn Rickels
Reviews: ‘”The Poppy War” trilogy in review”: Addison Pirkl
Health/science ‘Digital delays: technology in early education’: Avery Riehl
Social media promotion ‘Bolts Journalism Instagram’: Madelyn Johnson
Column/opinion ‘Is group work in school fair or helpful?’: Hadley Andersen
Sports story: Game or season recap ‘More than a game: The Liberty e-sports team’: Rebecca Matiyabo
News story: School/local ‘Liberty Football Kid Captain Night’: Kaelyn Rickels

Best of SNO Awards 2024-2025

Avery Riehl: New educational policies emphasize the difficulty of regulating AI

Hadley Andersen: Iowa Shrine Bowl: more than a game

Mimi Marquardt: Sustainability taking the stage

2024 IHSPA All-Iowa News Team of the Year

IHSPA Spring Contest 2024

First Place:

Health/science ‘Covid-19 outbreak hits Liberty’: Kaelyn Rickels
Reviews ‘Liberty High School presents: “Radium Girls”‘: Madelyn Johnson
In-depth sports story ‘Jesse Bly: defying limits’: Kaelyn Rickels
Column/opinion ‘I’m not like other girls’: Kaelyn Rickels

Second Place:

Podcasting ‘Horses & Everything In Between’: Emerson Townsend, Rebecca Matiyabo
News story ‘Iowa Caucus 2024: everything you need to know’: Kaelyn Rickels

Third Place:

Column/opinion ‘Opinion: The public school crisis’: Madelyn Johnson
Health/science ‘North Liberty’s Urbanization’: Vanessa Litton
Podcasting ‘Horses & Everything In Between’: Emerson Townsend, Rebecca Matiyabo
In-depth sports story ‘Liberty Girls Basketball scout team’: Jo Klein
Multimedia story – news ‘Little Life Advice’: Rylee Newland

Honorable Mention:

Column/opinion ‘Senate File 542: A Republican Cop-Out’: Megan Quinn
Social justice reporting ‘To do no harm: plastic surgery’s impact on women’: Avery Riehl
Web design ‘Liberty Live Wire’: Addison Pirkl, Kaelyn Rickels
Social media promotion ‘Bolts Journalism Instagram’: Ellie Martinez, Madelyn Johnson

Best of SNO Awards 2023-2024

Megan Quinn and Madelyn Johnson: January 6th insurrection — democracy at a crossroad

Madelyn Johnson: Opinion: the public school crisis

Kaelyn Rickels: Jesse Bly: defying limits

Jo Klein: Liberty Girls Basketball scout team

Jo Klein: Growing up with a special needs sibling

Best of SNO Awards 2022-2023

Madelyn Johnson: Armeen Mann: Overcoming an Eating Disorder

Piper Kearney: Ramadan 2023: Understanding the Holiday

Kaelyn Rickels: Liberty’s New Girl’s Wrestling Team

Jo Klein: Storm Scares

Best of SNO Awards 2021-2022

Leela Strand: Moving to the US from Brazil

Amelia Cleary: The Ability Behind Invisibility

Liz Barnett: Be A Light: The Legacy of Brooke Anne Langland

Liz Barnett: Slava Ukraini: How the Titarenkos Are Being Affected by the Ukrainian Humanitarian Crisis

Rosie Terry: Finding the Grace in Grief

Best of SNO Awards 2020-2021

Lauren DeYoung: More than a stereotype

Laney Prelle: Believe the Child

Amelia Cleary: A Dream in Motion

Best of SNO Awards 2019-2020

Sydney Kepros: Differently Abled

Zack Anderson and Jack Funke: Updated: Coronavirus Greatly Affects 2020 Sports

Lauren DeYoung: Updated: School sends second email to students, staff, and families about the coronavirus

Kaylee Deisbeck: Anna Bilskemper: Battling Rett Syndrome

Piper Koski: Teachers Teaching Teachers: English Department