DGN Senior Natalie White has been named Illinois Journalist of the Year. Pictured (l-r) with Teacher and Sponsor Elizabeth Levin, Associate Principal Sara Courington, Natalie, Principal Janice Schwarze and Director of Student Activities Mark Mirandola.
Natalie White, a senior at Downers Grove North High School, has been named the 2018 Illinois Journalist of the Year by the Illinois Journal Education Association (IJEA). She becomes the organization’s 29th Journalist of the Year since 1989 and the second from Downers Grove. The honor comes with a scholarship and makes her eligible to compete for the national title. DGN graduate Abigail Murphy received the title in 2017.
“We are thrilled that Natalie was selected for this prestigious honor,” says Elizabeth Levin, Downers Grove North English Teacher. “She is a deserving student journalist, and this accomplishment reflects her passion for journalism.”
Levin serves as the faculty advisor of the student newspaper, The Omega, and White serves as editor-in-chief.
"Natalie is a skilled young journalist and very deserving of this honor,” says North High Principal Janice Schwarze. “It is also a testament to the quality of our entire journalism program, so Ms. Levin deserves to be recognized as well for her guidance and hard work."
On Thursday, March 8, representatives from Illinois Journalism Education Association, including Brenda Field and Stan Zoller, visited White in her journalism class to surprise her with the news; her family also was present for the celebration. Please click here to see photos. Please click here for Omega’s story about White.
The Illinois Journalist of the Year winner receives a scholarship and becomes the Illinois representative In JEA’s national-level Journalist of the Year contest. For more information, visit http://www.ijea.net/contests/
###