Inkspot places 6th at IHSA state, sets program records for points, medalists

Chang wins state title; Phelps takes second

Mr. Brad Bovenkerk, Advisor

Apr 24, 2026

Five Inkspot staffers, across four events, medaled at the IHSA State Journalism competition. L to R: Arwen Georgas, Vidushi Shukla, Anna Chang, Brady Phelps and, not pictured, Rex Rowley.

Mr. Brad Bovenkerk

The Inkspot placed sixth at the IHSA Journalism State Final at Heartland Community College on April 24, scoring 16 points and sending home four medal entries—both program records—as junior Anna Chang claimed the top spot in Copy Editing.

Chang becomes just the third Ironman in school history to win an IHSA Journalism state title, following 2018 graduate Katie Fata, who captured two, and 2025 graduate Bryce Hickman.

Friday’s performance tops the Inkspot’s previous high of 14 team points, set by the 2018 squad that finished fifth as a team, and eclipses the program’s previous mark of three medalists in a single year.

Five Community students medaled across four events.

Along with Chang’s first-place finish, senior Brady Phelps took second in Radio News, seniors Arwen Georgas and Vidushi Shukla placed fourth in Yearbook Theme Development and junior Rex Rowley placed fifth in Yearbook Caption Writing.

Edwardsville won the team title Friday with 28 points, followed by Huntley (26) and Prospect (21). Community was the smallest school to finish in the top six.

At the event, senior Audra Wolf was named to the IJEA All-State Journalism Team, one of 17 students selected from throughout Illinois. Wolf’s contributions to student journalism will be recognized June 6.

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