Sparkman journalist wins top state honors
Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Rick Bragg often tells students that you can make money writing for a living. It is a remark used to encourage students to follow their dreams instead of their pocketbook. For Sparkman High School senior Amethyst Holmes, this Bragg adage proved to be true.
Holmes, a reporter for the Sparkman High School newspaper The Crimson Crier, was awarded the Alabama Scholastic Press Association's Journalist of the Year and J.B. Stevenson scholarship last weekend. She has also been deemed the Rick Bragg Feature Writer of the Year where she was honored with a banquet last night at the Bryant Conference Center. With both awards, Holmes was awarded a total of $3,000 in scholarship money.
An article on autism propelled Holmes to her winnings. She did a feature on Sparkman guidance counselor Lorri Haynes and her son Locklin. It is a story Holmes admits she didn't want to write at first because she felt odd asking her counselor such personal questions, but now it is a story she treasures.
"I am grateful that I had a story like that to write. It challenged me to write better and to care about what I was writing about more than ever," Holmes said.
Along with her journalist of the year win, Holmes has been asked to shadow Chicago Tribune Washington Bureau political writer Christi Parsons who is currently covering the Barack Obama campaign trail.
"There are so many words to describe how much this opportunity means to me. The words just leave me when I think about it. There is so much potential there," Holmes said.
To apply for the Journalist of the Year award, Holmes had to create a portfolio of her work. As spread editor of her school's newspaper, Holmes also submitted design work as well as articles she has written for The Huntsville Times teen page. Putting together the portfolio was therapeutic for Holmes who organized her submissions chronologically to show her progression as a journalist.
"I loved putting the portfolio together. It was like a big scrapbook, which is my favorite hobby. It was funny to see how I have improved over the years as well as comment on each of my articles," Holmes said.
Holmes will attend the University of Alabama in the fall where she will major in journalism. She hopes her journalism studies will allow her to write for a sports magazine or to be a sportscaster for ESPN.
"I hope I excel at the University and go wherever it takes me, which I know will be somewhere great," Holmes said.
Holmes was not the only Sparkman High School award winner at last weekend's conference. Principal Manuel Wallace was named the Administrator of the Year for his support of scholastic journalism. Wallace was nominated by the yearbook and newspaper staffs along with adviser Erin Coggins.
"His award is well deserved. We see him doing great things everyday, so it is about time that he is recognized for the things that he does," senior journalism student Miranda Dollarhide said.
According to Alabama Scholastic Press Association officials, Wallace's award was unanimous amongst the judges, citing they wish they could clone him. Wallace himself doesn't understand why he was given an award for something where his students do all the work.
"It's the students that do such great things, not me," Wallace said.
Holmes didn't mind sharing the spotlight with her principal, saying she didn't mind at all sharing her moment with her principal.
"He's a great guy, a great principal," Holmes said.
