BluePrints Magazine

05/17/2024

Cedar Shoals School Resource Officer Tommy Dorsey is challenging incumbent Sherrif John Q. Williams in the May 21 Democratic primary. There is no Republican candidate, so the winner will be the next sherrif in Athens. Dorsey graduated from Cedar Shoals in 1994. BluePrints staff members Aiden Poe and London Moore sat down with him to learn more about his campaign.

DORSEYS DEDICATION: With the upcoming local election, candidate Tommy Dorsey has committed to making Athens a safer place for all. Dorsey want's to publicize the actions of the Police Department to make citizens more informed about what is happening in Athens and to dissolve the anonymity between ci...

03/27/2024

Browse the latest edition of BluePrints here!

02/29/2024

Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz held a press conference this morning to discuss the city's response to public safety concerns following Laken Riley's murder. Protesters interrupted and at times derailed the setting with their own specific focus on the suspect's immigration status. Co-Editor-in-Chief Isabella Morgan reports on the tension as well as Girtz's efforts to address the media.

PRESS CONFERENCE: Mayor Kelly Girtz stands at a podium to address the Athens community following recent safety concerns. Photo by Isabella Morgan Features  Mayor Kelly Girtz hosts media conference to address recent community questions February 28, 2024February 28, 2024 Isabella Morgan Athens Clarke...

05/22/2023

Carlos Strong's basketball career took him from Cedar Shoals to UGA, the NBA, and abroad. In this short documentary, he returns to the "old gym" at Cedar Shoals to spend time with Broadcast Editor Freddrell Green and staff writer Alyssa Weiszer to reflect on how former Cedar Shoals Head Coach Leo Scott and teammates set him on a worldwide journey above the rim.

Broadcast  STRONG: a journey above the rim May 22, 2023May 22, 2023 Freddrell Green and Alyssa Weiszer Basketball, Carlos Strong 0 min read Freddrell Green and Alyssa Weiszer produced this documentary about Carlos Strong, a former Cedar Shoals student and basketball player who went on to play for U...

03/29/2023

BluePrints Magazine and WJAG-TV journalism students at Cedar Shoals continue to garner high praise and recognitions for their efforts to operate the school’s publications. At the 2023 Georgia Scholastic Press Association spring awards ceremony, our publication’s students and adviser earned three individual achievement awards. All three staffs earned “Superior” ratings across the board. Finally, individual students earned a total of 12 “All-Georgia” recognitions (judged best in state) and 14 “Superior” awards. Congratulations are in order for them, especially this year's graduating seniors who deserve all of the credit for building the publication up throughout their high school career.

Achievement Awards
Georgia Champion Journalist of the Year, Runner-up - Melanie Frick

Enterprising Award - Freddrell Green for his work on the Education Matters radio show
(recognizes a student who achieves success in publishing significant, quality journalistic work outside of school in local, regional or national outlets)

First Amendment Essay Contest
1st place - Ruby Calkin
2nd place - Eva Lucero
3rd place - Tumelo Johnson

Adviser of the Year - Mr. Marc Ginsberg

Publication ratings
BluePrints Magazine - Superior
BluePrints online - Superior
WJAG-TV - Superior

Individual Awards

Social Justice Reporting
All-Georgia - Tumelo Johnson and London Moore - “Rises in rent leave tenants distraught”
Superior - Ikeoluwa Ojo - “A circle of justice”

Broadcast - News Package
All-Georgia - Melanie Frick - “Youth day at the West Broad Farmer’s Market”

Broadcast - Feature Package
All-Georgia - Aliyah Adams - “Making music with Jaylen Stringer”

Broadcast - Sports Package
Superior - Sabriyu Adams - “The new and improved Lady Jags”

Podcast
All-Georgia - Freddrell Green and Alyssa Weiszer - “Inside info on the college decision process”

In-Depth News Story
All-Georgia - Violet Calkin - “No easy solutions”

Feature Story
Superior - Ellie Crane - “Shelving a safe space”
All-Georgia - Ikeoluwa Ojo - “Slayed”

Feature Profile
Superior - Ikeoluwa Ojo - “A labor of No Love”

Column Writing
All-Georgia - Marcus Welch - “Crypto Crisis,” “Representing the right way,” “Managing a mixed mindset”

Critical Review
Superior - Mia La - “Mochinut comes to Athens”

Sports News Story
Superior - Marcus Welch - “Lady Jags soccer ends losing streak”
Superior - Megan Wise - “Region realignment”

Sports Game Coverage
Superior - Gabe Holcomb - “Jaguars shutout in Classic City Championship”

Sports Feature Story
Superior - Kylie Toney - “Both sides of the ball”

Editorial Cartoon
All-Georgia - Ava Maddox - “My journey to accepting my culture”

Sports Photograph
Superior - Kylie Toney - “Jaguar soccer”

News Photograph
Superior - Isabella Morgan - “Dr. Ho**er”

Information Graphic
Superior - Aiden Dowling - “Fast Fashion”

Illustration
All-Georgia - Eva Lucero - “Managing a mixed mindset”
Superior - Mia La - “Feelings of Helplessness”

Double Truck Layout/Design
Superior - Megan Wise - “Raiders reign”
All-Georgia - Aiden Dowling - “Fast Fashion: accelerating unethical clothing production”

Social Media Storytelling
All-Georgia - Alyssa Weiszer, Melanie Frick and Ikeoluwa Ojo - “Jags in the Jungle”

Social Media Promotion
All-Georgia - Ikeoluwa Ojo, Ellie Crane, and Melanie Frick - “Magazine Promos”

03/08/2023

BluePrints Magazine Co-Editor-in-Chief Melanie Frick has been named the runner-up for GSPA's 2023 Champion Journalist of the Year competition through the Georgia Scholastic Press Association. The award is based on a comprehensive portfolio highlighting her work in various aspects of journalistic media and leadership.

"From joining journalism my freshman year to now, I have learned an immeasurable amount about creating content in multiple mediums and engaging with my community. Four years ago, I never would have thought I'd be recognized statewide for my work," Frick said. "I wouldn't have been able to do any of it without my journalism peers either, and through the team we've nurtured, we've grown as individuals and positively impacted those around us. Cedar Shoals has always had stories worth highlighting, and I feel confident that BluePrints will continue to leave its mark on Athenians through the media we produce."

Melanie will be recognized on March 27 at Georgia Scholastic Press Association's Spring Awards and Workshop. She was previously named the 2022 GSPA Junior Champion Journalist winner. Melanie plans to enroll at the University of Georgia in the fall.

03/06/2023

The Cedar Shoals BluePrints Magazine, WJAG-TV, Little Blue Book and yearbook staffs traveled to Columbia, SC for the 2023 Southern Interscholastic Press Association (SIPA) conference March 3-5. SIPA schools range as far west as Texas and as far north as Virginia. Students participated in sessions, workshops, on-site competitions and a journalism quiz bowl. Cedar Shoals students earned the following awards and recognitions for their efforts. Please congratulate these students for their continued success and hard work.

Quiz Bowl - First Place: Aiden Dowing, Gabe Holcomb, Tumelo Johnson, and Marcus Welch

-This team defeated another Cedar Shoals team, a team from Wando HS (South Carolina) and a team from Clarke Central in the finals to win first place. Other Cedar Shoals participants on two other teams included Ellie Crane, Kira Law, Ethan Greene, Mallory Huntsman, Emma McElhannon, Isabella Morgan, Tory Ratajczak, and Megan Wise

On-site competitions - Teams compete against other students in different mediums and categories to produce original media stories and packages. BluePrints and Little Blue Book Literary Magazine winners included:

Literary Magazine

Best Visual Elements and Best Overall: Mallory Huntsman, Ava Maddox, and Samantha Mifflin

Newsprint
Best Design: Ethan Greene, Kira Law, Chloe Smith, and Megan Wise

Online Media
Best Story: Melanie Frick, Ikeoluwa Ojo, Tory Ratajczak, and Zaya Roberson

Photography
Best Gallery: Delia McElhannon and Isabella Morgan

Publication ratings and awards

BluePrints Magazine - All-Southern (highest tier)
BluePrints Online - Superior; 2nd place Best in Show
WJAG-TV - Excellent

Individual Awards

SIPA Best Writing Contest
Feature Captions - Second Place: Anna Schmidt
News Captions - Second Place: London Moore
Sports Captions - Third Place: Megan Wise
Literary Magazine, Fiction - Third Place - Ava Maddox
Newsprint - Editorial Column - Honorable Mention: Ruby Calkin
Newsprint - Investigative Story - First Place: Violet Calkin
Newsprint - News feature - First Place: Ellie Crane
Newsprint - News Feature - Third Place: Tumelo Johnson and London Moore
Newsprint - Personality Profile - Third Place: Ikeoluwa Ojo
Newsprint - Personalilty Profile - Honorable Mention: Melanie Frick
Newsprint - Review - Third Place: Marcus Welch
Newsprint - Sports Column - Second Place: Jacob Weiszer
Newsprint - Sports Feature - Second Place: Michael Niedzwiecki-Castile
Newsprint - Sports Feature - Third Place: Ethan Greene
Newsprint Portfolio - Third Place: Ikeoluwa Ojo
Online - Column - Second Place: Marcus Welch
Online - Features - Third Place: Melanie Frick
Online - Reviews - Third Place: Luz Bazarte
Online - Sports Column - Third Place: Gabe Holcomb
Online - Sports Feature - Honorable Mention: Megan Wise
Online - Sports News - First Place: Ikeoluwa Ojo

SIPA Best Visuals Contest
Newsprint - Infographic - Third Place: Ellie Crane
Newsprint - Entertainment Package - Second Place: Ellie Crane
Newsprint - Feature Package - Second Place: Kira Law
Newsprint - Headline package - Third Place: Ellie Crane
Online - Features Package - Second Place: Melanie Frick
Online - Sports package - Third Place: Ruby Calkin

03/05/2023

Checking in from SIPA 2023. 5th trip here and still can’t get Mr. Ginsberg to smile or wear a tie. The staff cleans up well though.

03/02/2023

Go team.

02/27/2023

To celebrate Black History Month, BluePrints writers have been interviewing both prominent and local Cedar Shoals graduates to hear more about their experiences at the school throughout its 50 year history.

Co-Web-Editor Ellie Crane caught up with 1992 graduate Stevie King who fondly recalls how one seemingly insignificant decision to join the marching band changed his entire life.

Cedar Shoals High School alumni Stevie King attended Cedar from 1988-92. When thinking back on his time as a student,

02/27/2023

To celebrate Black History Month, BluePrints writers have been interviewing both prominent and local Cedar Shoals graduates to hear more about their experiences at the school throughout its 50 year history.

Current Assistant Principal Fabian Jones' Jaguar journey began in 1982. Staff Writer London Moore interewed Mr. Jones about his history as part of the Cedar community.

On Wed, Feb. 22 staff writer London Moore conducted a Q&A with Cedar Shoals Assistant Principal Fabian Jones about his

02/27/2023

To celebrate Black History Month, BluePrints writers have been interviewing both prominent and local Cedar Shoals graduates to hear more about their experiences at the school throughout its 50 year history. Co-Editor-in-Chief Melanie Frick spearheaded this project and landed an interview with of Cedar Shoals' brightest stars.

While many Jags got their start in the arts at Cedar Shoals, few have had such extensive careers as Calvin Orlando Smith, class of 1980.

From belting his heart out on the Hilsman playground, to singing on Broadway — Calvin Orlando Smith, who graduated from

02/27/2023

To celebrate Black History Month, BluePrints writers have been interviewing both prominent and local Cedar Shoals graduates to hear more about their experiences at the school throughout its 50 year history. Here, Podcast Editor Freddrell Green interviews a familiar face: 1988 graduate and former security guard Stacy Dean.

Join Freddrell Green as he interviews Stacey Dean, a Cedar Shoals alumni who continues to give back to his community.

02/07/2023

Friends, colleagues, family, and community members gathered at Cedar Shoals on Saturday morning to honor the memory of Mr. Joshua Sampson with a 5k race. Look for more in-depth coverage of the event in the upcoming issue of BluePrints, but for now, enjoy this photo gallery by Megan Wise.

On Sat Feb. 4 at 8 a.m., people gathered together to walk and run down Cedar Shoals Drive and back

12/16/2022

Dr. Margaret Morgan was not simply a math teacher. She continues to be an inspiration.

Dr. Margaret Morgan was invested, dedicated to her family, friends, students and fellow teachers. Her love of math was contagious

11/19/2022

In his first five weeks as CCSD Superintendent, Dr. Robbie Ho**er hosted a series of town hall meetings to create conversations with parents and community members. The audience at Cedar Shoals on Thursday continued to raise many of the same questions that prior leaders sought to work on.

Community members gathered in the Cedar Shoals auditorium on Nov. 17 for the fourth of a series of six town

11/18/2022

Efforts to repair the damage from a bathroom fire earlier this week will continue while students are out of school for Thanksgiving break.

On the morning of Nov. 16, smoke flooded the halls of Cedar Shoals, caused by an intentionally set fire on

11/17/2022

Check out the latest BluePrints issue online or grab a copy from the racks near the library and main office on the C-and-D-200 halls!

Read BluePrints Magazine - Volume XXI, Issue 1 - November 2022 by Cedar BluePrints on Issuu and browse thousands of other publications on our plat...

11/11/2022

BluePrints staff held a press conference with CCSD Superintendent Dr. Robbie Ho**er last week. Here's what he had to say.

On Friday, Nov. 4 BluePrints staff held a press conference with CCSD’s newly appointed superintendent Dr. Robbie Ho**er. The questions

10/21/2022

With early voting having started, the 2022 midterm election is in full swing. U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) stopped through Athens on Thursday to rally UGA students and locals in his race to fend off his Republican opponent, former UGA running back Herschel Walker. Co-Editor-in-Chief Melanie Frick captured some of the sights and soundbites from Warnock's rally.

An unfamiliar sight: an African American Georgia Senator standing in front of a larger-than-life American flag, practically preaching to his

09/07/2022

The JagCast is back. Your favorite local Education Matters radio persona Freddrell Green and staff writer Alyssa Weiszer sat down with Principal Tony Derricotte to catch up on how the new school year is unfolding. Find their podcast regularly throughout the year via Anchor and Spotify.

Join Freddrell Green and Alyssa Weiszer as they discuss the new school year, field house construction, school sports and more

08/30/2022

The CCSD Board of Education plans to vote Thursday night Sept. 1 on officially hiring former Clarke Central and Burney-Harris-Lyons Principal Dr. Robbie Ho**er to become the next superintendent. The sole finalist for the position, Ho**er met with the Athens community Sunday afternoon at a meet-and-greet event. BluePrints News Editor Ikeoluwa Ojo and Photography Editor Isabella Morgan share the news from the much anticipated meeting with a familiar face locally.

A crowd of Clarke County School District employees, parents, students and other curious members of the Athens community gathered into

05/17/2022

Ground breaking for the new athletics field house at Cedar Shoals will take place Wednesday, May 18 at 5:30 PM with a short ceremony next to Waters-Wilkins stadium where the field house will be built. Sports Editor Jacob Weiszer has more information about the long-awaited project here.

The selection of an architect for the new Cedar Shoals fieldhouse is set to take place this month with hopes

05/11/2022

Early voting has been open for over a week, so why haven't you voted yet? Before you District 1 readers make up your minds, be sure to read our candidate Q&A's with incumbent Patrick Davenport and Audrey Hughes.

Both candidates for the Athens-Clarke County District 1 commission seat visited Cedar Shoals High School for a press conference with

05/11/2022

Voted yet? Yeah we still have to do that, too (well, some of us seniors). If you're in District 1, be sure to read our candidate Q&A's with both Audrey Hughes and incumbent Patrick Davenport before you decide on your vote for county commissioner.

Both candidates for the Athens-Clarke County District 1 commission seat visited Cedar Shoals High School for a press conference with

05/10/2022

Pandemic school has been hard to pull off no matter where you live. If 2020-21 was the virtual school experiment, then what do we call 2021-22? Co-Editor-in-Chief Violet Calkin's final article for BluePrints highlights the challenges of teaching high school in the midst of quarantines, politics, and personal struggles.

It’s 2:05 p.m. The fourth period tardy bell sings as Josh Campbell, English department, turns from writing on the whiteboard

05/10/2022

It seems like there is another story every day lately about book challenges or placing limitations on the ideas that can be discussed in classrooms. In Clarke County schools, media specialists already know how to respond. Read Co-Editor-in-Chief Jackie Wright's final story for BluePrints below.

From classics to children’s literature, the American Library Association tracks hundreds of attempts to remove books from shelves and curricula

04/28/2022

We have been very lucky to have Violet Calkin help lead our staff this year. Congratulations to her for being recognized by Georgia Scholastic Press Association for her published work in Flagpole Magazine. She is headed to Davidson to study English!

Congratulations to Violet Calkin from Cedar Shoals Blueprints on winning the Enterprising Achievement Award. The award "recognizes a student who achieves success in publishing significant, quality journalistic work outside of school in local, regional or national outlets." In addition to Blueprints, Violet writes locally for Flagpole Magazine located in Athens, GA. She was honored at the GSPA Spring Workshop and Awards earlier this month. https://www.ugagspa.org/news/2022/4/14/2022-achievement-award-winners-celebrated

04/28/2022

Many thanks to Jennifer Bielli and Deenan Scott for organizing our end-of-the-year celebration last night! "It's been a year," but it was also our most eventful one yet. We have so much to celebrate. Congratulations to graduating seniors and many thanks for your contributions to the publication!

03/03/2022

Just in case you hadn't heard yet, BluePrints Web Editor Melanie Frick has been named this year's Georgia Junior Champion Journalist of the Year by the Georgia Scholastic Press Association. Read more below!