The Bolt was honored with a top award for print newspapers by a regional high school journalism organization at Fullerton College on Feb. 24.
The Orange County Journalism Education Association handed out the 2024 Best of Show Award at the annual OC Write-Off, which attracted about 300 high school students. Sage Hill students entered their February 2024 edition against high schools with newspaper staffs employing 24 or fewer students.
“You pack a lot into an eight-page newspaper, from an array of campus news to informative opinion pieces that shine a light on issues worldwide. Nice stories on girls’ first flag football game and the students who bonded playing girls’ basketball,” an anonymous judge wrote.
Additionally, The Bolt placed third for online news. Judges noted that online “coverage is accurate, fair and balanced” and “prominence is given to breaking news stories.”
These honors would not have been possible without the leadership of Co-Editors-in-Chief Phoebe Pan, Alia Sajjadian and Anne Chen.
Besides its Best of Show awards, the OC Write-Off hosted high school students for timed competitions in news writing, sports writing, editorial, critical review, photojournalism and design. Copy Editor Grace Yan, Sports Editor Ava Eimani, and Staff Writer Maya Desai demonstrated their strong news writing skills. Professional journalists and retirees annually volunteer to judge students’ entries.
“I’m extremely proud of what our small but mighty newspaper staff has accomplished this school year,” said Daniel Langhorne, adviser to The Bolt. “We’re grateful for the judges’ kind words and the Sage Hill administration for its continuing support of robust student publications.”
Students interested in joining The Bolt staff for the 2024-2025 school year are invited to email:
