High school journalists, newspapers honored in 2017 Press Democrat competition

The top individual honor at this year’s Press Democrat High School Journalism Awards went to a student whose school didn’t even have a newspaper until she launched it last fall.

Fueled by a keen interest in politics, Bronwyn Simmons, an 18-year-old senior at Summerfield Waldorf School and Farm, developed a passion for news, storytelling and interviewing people. So she approached school officials at the beginning of this academic year about establishing a newspaper to channel those interests.

The school was receptive, and the fledgling Summer Times, with Simmons as its editor in chief, has now published five times.

Simmons’ efforts earned her first place in the outstanding journalist category - which came with a $500 prize - at The Press Democrat’s 68th annual high school journalism contest, celebrated Monday at the newspaper’s Rohnert Park printing facility.

“I really wish we had a journalism program. So I just decided to create my own opportunity for it,” said Simmons, who interned at The Press Democrat earlier this year. “I also thought that we needed a platform for student voice, because our school is sort of lacking in that.”

Simmons plans to attend Bard College in New York this fall, where she intends to continue exploring her storytelling interests in some fashion. She said her approach might resemble her senior project, in which she interviewed some of Sonoma County’s currently or formerly homeless residents - and homeless advocates - then memorized their responses and performed them as a theatrical piece.

“I want to tell stories. I’m not sure what form that will take,” Simmons said. “But I love writing and I love acting.”

In the other categories at this year’s contest, The Gaucho Gazette from Casa Grande High School in Petaluma claimed seven first-place awards, including for the second straight year overall excellence, which also came with a $500 prize. Healdsburg High School’s student newspaper, the Hound’s Bark, won second place in the overall excellence category, while the Santa Rosan from Santa Rosa High School won third.

Go to pressdemocrat.com for a complete list of the winners.

You can reach Staff Writer J.D. Morris at 707-521-5337 or jd.morris@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @thejdmorris.