Sponsor a Talon journalist!

Talon summer journalism camp sponsorships

Do you want good news? Invest in the future of journalism by sponsoring a Talon journalist.

If the journalism program at Ankeny High, particularly the student-run news media outlet, The Talon, made a difference in your life, or if you would like to make a difference in the life of someone currently in journalism and on The Talon staff, then sponsoring a Talon journalist/editor is your chance to make that difference.

Our goal is to send a few Talon editors this summer to the Media Now! summer journalism camp at Drake University or the University of Iowa’s summer journalism workshop. Talon social media editor and senior Joanna Guerrero earned full rides to both camps summer of 2023 due to her hard work and dedication. We hope to send more student journalists! Talon reporter Lydia Gerety earned a full ride to the 2024 Media Now! at Drake summer journalism camp.

“The journalism camps helped me network, learn, and soak in advice from professional journalists, and allowed me to become friends with many high school student journalists,” Guerrero said. “I learned and took inspiration [from fellow high school student journalists] on what they do with their publications. It was an amazing experience where I got to deepen and enrich my knowledge of journalism!” Guerrero said.

Talon student journalists earned 13 awards from the Iowa High School Press Association’s 2023 spring journalism contest for stellar writing and reporting, which put The Talon in the running for 2023 All-Iowa News Team. In 2024, Talon staff earned 28 awards from the 2024 spring journalism contest, which includes 15 honorable mentions.

1st Place	“‘The narrative is everything is great in Ankeny, but that may not be the case for every facility and for every kid’” by sophomore Lydia Gerety for School News Story “Self-care and finding a balance Humans of the Hawk Nest: AHS social worker Arin Renaud” by Lydia Gerety for Personality Profile
2nd Place	“Swifties Unite” story feature photo by senior Avery Enright for Environment Photo Sports Feature Photo (Caption- The Ankeny cheerleaders lead the student section in a cheer.) by junior Ava Gifford “Behind the jersey: how football players find balance” by Ava Gifford for Sports Story “‘The narrative is everything is great in Ankeny, but that may not be the case for every facility and for every kid’” by Lydia Gerety for Multimedia Feature Story “Artificial Intelligence in schools: Tool or weapon?” by Jordan Goemann for Feature Story Sports Action Photo (Caption- With pressure from the defense, senior Carson Johnson goes up for a shot.) by Ava Gifford
3rd Place	Social Media Promotion- Joanna Guerrero and Talon Staff “‘The narrative is everything is great in Ankeny, but that may not be the case for every facility and for every kid’” (percentage of proficiency graphic at start of story) by Lydia Gerety for Interactive Graphic Social Media Reporting- senior Joanna Guerrero and Talon Staff “The winter slump: It’s more than being lazy How winter affects the lives of students” story feature photo by senior Hunter Boswell for News Photo “We’re journalists…” Instagram Reel by Joanna Guerrero, juniors Ryan Tomlinson, and Julius Wiegand for Entertainment

Talon Co-Editors and 2024 graduates Ava Tomlinson & Vivian Wu as they have earned a TOP TEN spot (in the state of Iowa) as Iowa High School Press Association’s… Emerging Journalists for 2023. Senior and Talon reporter Ava Gifford earned a TOP TEN spot for 2024.

Eleven student journalists, 2023 graduate Sophie Rohlfing, junior Lydia Gerety (earned three Best of SNOs), senior Nolan McNulty, and 2024 graduates Charlie Christensen, Grace Risk, Scott Kruse, Joanna Guerrero, Josie Babcock, and Vivian Wu (earned two Best of SNOs) as well as seniors Julius Wiegand and Elyse Enskat have earned the prestigious honor of Best of School Newspapers Online (SNO )awards.

Talon editor and senior Joanna Guerrero earned an honorable mention through Journalism Education Association’s (JEA) student media contest for her profile of JEA member, English teacher, and journalism adviser Alissa Hansen.

We have a partnership with the Ankeny Chamber of Commerce and student journalists will be reporting on Chamber events and profiling business for the Ankeny Business Journal. You can check out work from 2024 graduates and former Talon editors Joanna Guerrero, Ava Tomlinson, and Vivian Wu and juniors Olivia Luna and Lynae Midkiff.

We’re working to earn more distinction as we grow the journalism/Talon program at Ankeny High.

Interested in sponsoring Talon journalists/editors? Email adviser Alissa Hansen at [email protected]. We are planning to make this an annual sponsorship program.

Thank you for supporting student journalism.