Southeast High School students produced journalistic gems this spring with their efforts in newspaper, yearbook and broadcasting activities.
Students from seven LPS high schools mined award-winning moments in the Nebraska School Activities Association State Journalism Championships. They competed in a wide array of individual and group contests during their trip to Norfolk. More than two dozen LPS journalists returned home with valuable prizes.
The Knights struck a large vein of state journalistic minerals. Fifteen students collected medals in 13 newspaper, yearbook and broadcasting categories. Those efforts helped Southeast finish third in Class A team standings with 242 points.
Southeast teacher Brianne Clark advises The Clarion newspaper and the Knight Pride News broadcasting classes. She said everyone was thrilled with the successful state trip.
“I’m incredibly proud of this staff and everything they accomplished this year,” Clark said. “Earning third place in Class A team sweepstakes is a huge achievement, especially considering no LPS school has finished in the top five since the NSAA combined A1 and A2 in 2015.”
Lily Deitering, Sydney Kjeldgaard and Jenna Steinke all won state championships for Southeast. Deitering claimed first place in the Newspaper News Writing category, and Kjeldgaard and Steinke teamed up to win the Broadcast Public Service Announcement contest.
All three state champions said their journalism classes have given them many valuable skills.
“I have learned so much from Miss Clark and the other staff members and leaders on the team about writing, design and teamwork,” Deitering said. “It’s also been really fun to attend different conventions and have guest speakers come in as well. Overall, it’s been so much fun, and I feel like I’ve really extended my journalistic knowledge and abilities over the past few years.”
“I’ve really enjoyed being part of Knight Pride News and getting to help create broadcasts that students actually watch and connect with,” Kjeldgaard said. “It’s been fun to see how much more comfortable and confident I’ve become on camera throughout the year, and I’ve loved working with the class and making memories during productions and filming days.”
“I feel like I have learned a lot through my journalism classes, including how to talk to people, how to do all kinds of video editing and writing, and learning how to compile B-roll, interviews, music and more in order to make a package impactful,” Steinke said.
Deitering squared off against seven finalists for the state prize. Students received a fictional prompt about a school program implemented by Nebraska Public Power District. They then had 75 minutes to complete a live interview and write their story.
Kjeldgaard and Steinke secured their state title for their public service announcement about the school’s Hope Squad. They created a video that showed Hope Squad students writing and delivering encouraging notes to fellow Knights.
Southeast students cheered when they learned where they had landed on the final Class A leaderboard.
“I am super proud of the Southeast team for placing third in the sweepstakes!” Deitering said. “I think we have an incredible team composed of really talented and driven students, and the award was certainly well-deserved.”
“What makes this group special is their willingness to work hard, take creative risks and continually push themselves to tell engaging stories that matter to our school community,” Clark said. “Watching their dedication to journalism pay off on such a big stage has been extremely rewarding.”
2026 Class A State Journalism Contest Team Results
Millard North 404 points, Papillion-La Vista 310, Lincoln Southeast 242, Papillion-La Vista South 232, Omaha Marian 224, Omaha Burke 124, Omaha Westside 118, Elkhorn South 108, Fremont 106, Millard South 102, Bellevue East 90, Millard West 90, Lincoln East 82, Omaha Central 62, Bellevue West 46, Omaha Bryan 46, Lincoln Southwest 44, Lincoln North Star 36, Omaha Westview 24, Omaha North 20, Omaha Buena Vista 18, Omaha Benson 16, Kearney 14, Lincoln Northeast 10
2026 Southeast High School State Journalism Contest Results
Newspaper Column Writing: Evangeline Ahern (6th)
Entertainment Review Writing: Evangeline Ahern (6th)
Newspaper Feature Writing: Kristina Gevorkova (3rd)
Newspaper News Writing: Lily Deitering (1st), Eleanor Spady (5th)
Sports News Writing: Sophia Clark (3rd)
Yearbook Feature Writing: Teagan Mundorf (6th)
Yearbook Theme Copy Writing: Tatum Fischer (4th)
In-Depth Newspaper Coverage: Mina Jan and Lida Prochaska (4th)
Photo/Artistic Illustration: Evangeline Ahern (2nd)
Broadcast News Story: Sydney Kjeldgaard and Mason Sheehan (3rd), Sofia Bunch (8th)
Broadcast Sports Story: Adam Taylor (4th), Cory Nguyen and Mason Sheehan (6th), Sydney Kjeldgaard (7th)
Broadcast Feature Story: Sydney Kjeldgaard and Jenna Steinke (4th)
Broadcast Public Service Announcement: Sydney Kjeldgaard and Jenna Steinke (1st), Sofia Bunch (4th)
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