About
The Paw Print is the official online school newspaper of Woodside High School, entirely run by Career Technical Education (CTE) Digital Journalism students. Established in 1958 in Woodside, California, The Paw Print strives to keep readers informed, up-to-date, and engaged by practicing ethical and accurate reporting. Staff reporters learn the basics of story pitching, newswriting, audio, video, and other interactive online elements while producing content for The Paw Print.
Students in CTE Digital Journalism are equipped with writing, communication, and multimedia skills necessary to succeed in technology-driven industries. By managing The Paw Print, students learn how to write and publish articles in accordance with industry-standard guidelines, manage School Newspapers Online (SNO) website design, broadcast live for the school’s daily announcements, take and edit high-quality photos with DSLR cameras and Photoshop, and film and edit multimedia packages with Final Cut Pro. For the past few years, The Paw Print staff has also collaborated with KQED Public Radio to produce content for the annual Youth Takeover on KQED in late spring. Students have traveled to compete in the annual National Journalism Education Association Convention in Chicago and Washington D.C. along with traveling to local journalism competitions, workshops, and newsrooms. In January 2020, The Paw Print began offering some articles in both English and Spanish in order to make articles more accessible for everyone in the Woodside community.
The Paw Print was previously named The Woodside World, and most print editions of The Woodside World published before 2017 are available on UC Riverside’s California Digital Newspaper Collection, which can be found here.
Opinion Policy: Any opinions presented within The Paw Print do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the writer, The Paw Print, Woodside High School, or the Sequoia Union High School District as a whole.
Comment Policy: All comments should be attached to your real name and email—we do NOT accept anonymous comments. Comments will only be published if they engage substantively and respectfully with the points of an article.
Awards
The following are local, regional, state, and national awards received by the staff writers for The Paw Print since 2017.
2023-2024
Best of SNO 2023-2024
Conrad Berke— “Making history and winning too: girls flag football heads to playoffs”
Winnie Einhorn– “Opinion: We’re losing the ‘arts’ in English language arts”
Jaiedenn Dolan– “Opinion: My life matters more than your gun”
Chloe de Leon— “Opinion: Advancing the music program with AP Music Theory”
2022-2023
Journalism Education Association – Northern California Student Media Contests Winners
Patrick Van Hoven– Second Place-Review Writing
Chloe de Leon– Honorable Mention-Audio Story
California Press Women’s Association – Annual Communications Contest Winners
Jaiedenn Dolan– First Place-Reviews
Maggie Mein– Second Place-News
Winnie Einhorn– Third Place-News
Cebelli Pfeifer– Honorable Mention-News
Winnie Einhorn– Third Place-Reviews
Logan Marrow– Third Place-Reviews
Patrick Van Hoven– Third Place-Reviews
Kailyn Holty– Third Place-Features
Best of SNO 2022-2023
Kailyn Holty– “Paper Tutoring met with mixed reviews”
Kailyn Holty– “Where are all the girls?”
Chloe de Leon– “Rizz-ults of ‘Rizz’ Culture”
Winnie Einhorn– “Review: A first look at ‘The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom'”
Winnie Einhorn– “Middle College offers an alternative high school experience”
2021-2022
Journalism Education Association -National Student Media Contests Winners
Cebelli Pfeifer– Honorable Mention-Commentary Writing
Cedrik Von Briel– Excellent-Themed Photo
California Press Women’s Association – Annual Communications Contest Winners
Cebelli Pfeifer– Second Place-Sports Writing
Cedrick von Briel– Second Place-Sports Writing; Honorable Mention-Review
Jessica Lin– Second Place-Graphics
Mia Hua– Third Place-News Writing
Birdie Kwan– Honorable Mention-Review
Claire Manuel– Honorable Mention-Review; Honorable Mention-Environmental Piece
Winnie Einhorn– Third Place-Review
Best of SNO 2021-2022
Mia Hua– “Crochet’s Comeback: The Revival of Yarn Crafts”
Cebelli Pfeifer– “The Story of Woodside’s Mysterious ‘Trackman'”
Cedrik von Briel– “Around the world and back again: Ann Akey’s multi-continent teaching journey”
Kailyn Holty– “Living in the last moments: the importance of assisted death”
2020-2021
Journalism Education Association -National Student Media Contests Winners
Amelie de Leon–Excellent-Editorial Writing
Alexander Balfanz–Excellent-Review Writing
Cedrik Von Briel–Honorable Mention-Themed Photo
Amelie de Leon— Honorable Mention-Feature Writing
CA Press Women’s Communications Contest
Tal Dickman–Honorable Mention-News or Feature Photo
Best of SNO – 2020 to 2021
Alexander Balfanz – What’s an NFT? (April 5, 2021)
Jessica Lin and Kaitlyn Chen – Hate is a Virus (March 30, 2021)
Amelie de Leon and Claire Manuel – Emerald Hills Residents Respond After Placement of Ex-Convict in the Area (March 12, 2021)
Tal Dickman – Strongman Personalities and the Future of the Republican Party (February 19, 2021)
Keira Lee – Woodside Graduate Max King Releases Debut Album (December 10, 2020)
Tal Dickman – Proposition 25 Fails, but Demands for Cash Bail Reform Continue (December 7, 2020)
Cedrik Von Briel – What Do Your Teachers Think of Distance Learning? (October 14, 2020)
Amelie de Leon – School in the Time of COVID-19 (October 13, 2020)
Cedrik Von Briel – Wildfire smoke causes disruptions to Woodside Teachers and Students (September 17, 2020)
Emma Montalbano – The Redwood City Police Department’s Role in Helping with the Fires (September 15, 2020)
2019-2020
California Press Women’s Association 2020 High School Communications Contest
Alexander Balfanz – Second Place in Reviews for “Waves”
Cedrik Von Briel – Second Place in Environment for “13 birds for 3 billion lost”
Claire Manuel – Honorable Mention in Features for “Isn’t it just soap”
California Press Women’s Association 2021 High School Communications Contest
Tal Dickman – Honorable Mention in Reviews for “A Promised Land”
2020 National Scholastic Writing Awards
Taila Lee – Silver Medal in Journalism for “Netflix’s ‘Tall Girl’ Fails to Reach New Heights”
2020 Bay Area Scholastic Writing Awards
Taila Lee – Gold Key in Journalism for “Netflix’s ‘Tall Girl’ Fails to Reach New Heights”
Journalism Education Association (JEA) Convention (Washington D.C.) – Fall 2019
Chloe Postlewaite* – Online News Package – Superior
Sam Brook* – Online News Package – Superior
Taila Lee* – Online News Package – Superior
*Chloe Postlewaite, Sam Brook, and Taila Lee participated in a group competition to collaboratively produce an online news package about the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. You can view their project here, which was published on The Paw Print as a submission.
The New York Times Second Annual Student Photo Contest
Emma Chiu – Runner-Up
Northern California Journalism Education Association (JEA) Media Day (Palo Alto, CA) – Fall 2019
Taila Lee – Second Place, Review Writing
SNO Distinguished Site – 2019 to 2020
The Paw Print is a SNO Distinguished Site for the 2019-2020 school year, earning six out of six SNO badges and demonstrating mastery of social media, story excellence, site excellence, coverage, and multimedia.
Best of SNO – 2019 to 2020
The following articles and packages were published on the Paw Print and were later accepted by SNO administrators as examples of the “best stories being published on the SNO Sites network” (bestofsno.com). Over 20,900 stories have been submitted to Best of SNO nationwide (about 15% have been accepted) among the 470+ participating schools.
Taila Lee – Taylor Swift’s “Lover” Is Easy to Fall in Love With
Taila Lee – Netflix’s “Tall Girl” Fails to Reach New Heights
Emma Chiu – Advanced Placement Classes: The Unintentional Segregators
Isabella Calcagno – Marching for Mother Nature: Woodside Students Join Biggest Climate Protest in History
Chloe Postlewaite – JUULs, Suorins, and Novos, Oh My
Emma Montalbano – Woodside Alum and NFL Star Launches Film Production Company
Claire Manuel – Disney Introduces First LGBTQ+ Character
Taila Lee – Dodie’s Enchanting Performance Lights Up The Fox Theater
Sam Brook – Police Visit Results in Discomfort for Skeptical Students
Cedrik von Briel – Photo essay: 13 birds for the 3 billion lost
Taila Lee – Power Outages Disconnect Seniors From Their College Applications
Taila Lee – National Period Day Raises Awareness For Period Poverty
Alexander Balfanz – Review: “Magdalene” by FKA Twigs
Chloe Postlewaite, Sam Brook, Taila Lee – Conservation and Conversations: The Smithsonian’s National Zoo
Isabella Calcagno – Guns, Schools, and Activism
Cedrik von Briel – A Trip to the Circus
Taila Lee – TikTok: The Epitome of Gen Z
Claire Manuel – “Isn’t It Just Soap?”: Gender Stereotypes in Marketing
Sam Brook, Emma Chiu, Taila Lee, Chloe Postlewaite – North Star Academy Holds First Redwood City School District Climate Strike
Emma Chiu – Clases de Colocación Avanzada: Los Segregadores no Intencionales
Emma Chiu, Taila Lee – More Than $5,000 in Student Body Funds Stolen
Cedrik von Briel – Everything you need to know about the California State Senate candidates
Emma Chiu, Taila Lee – Ten Years Later: Still Waiting for “Superman”
Emma Chiu – Menlo School Reopens Following Coronavirus Scare
Chloe Postlewaite – Coronavirus Closes Woodside Until April 6
Emma Chiu, Cedrik von Briel, Claire Manuel, Stephanie Dorsett – A Look at Woodside’s “Non-Essential Activities”
Taila Lee – Out Of His “Idle Town”: Review of Conan Gray’s “The Comfort Crowd Tour”
Tessa Bertine – Pasta Pandemic
Emma Chiu – “The Timing Was Right”: Bob Dylan’s Newest Release Isn’t a Coincidence
Taila Lee – Wildcats Find Ways to Help During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Zoe Mason – What You Missed at the BLM March in SF on May 30, 2020
Site Excellence – 2019 to 2020
The Paw Print received SNO’s Site Excellence Badge, where students had to “customize their homepage beyond the initial SNO design with a clear sense of purpose for every element on the homepage.”
Story Page Excellence – 2019 to 2020
The Paw Print received SNO’s Story Page Excellence Badge, where students had to create eight stories “that go beyond the text to enhance the reader’s experience.” They used different templates to add engaging elements to articles, and they added interactive pieces to the website.
Audience Engagement – 2019 to 2020
The Paw Print received SNO’s Audience Engagement Badge, where students had to use social media to engage their audience while gaining over 1,000 total followers. They also studied their analytics, and got thousands of page views on their website.
Multimedia – 2019 to 2020
The Paw Print received SNO’s Multimedia Badge, where students produced multiple high-quality videos, podcasts, and three photo slideshows. They learned how to create effective and engaging pieces on different platforms, and they learned the differences between different types of media.
Continuous Coverage – 2019 to 2020
The Paw Print received SNO’s Continuous Coverage Badge, where students updated the Paw Print site regularly throughout the school year and demonstrated a commitment to timely online journalism.
2018-2019
SNO Distinguished Site – 2018 to 2019
The Paw Print is a SNO Distinguished Site for the 2018-2019 school year, earning six out of six SNO badges and demonstrating mastery of social media, story excellence, site excellence, coverage, and multimedia. The Paw Print ranks #9 in the nation for SNO Distinguished Sites.
Best of SNO – 2018 to 2019
The following articles and packages (30 total) were published on the Paw Print and were later accepted by SNO administrators as examples of the “best stories being published on the SNO Sites network” (bestofsno.com). Over 12,600 stories were submitted to Best of SNO nationwide (about 17% have been accepted) among the 400+ schools that were participants.
Sam Brook – Woodside Firefighters Face Unrelenting California Flames
Taila Lee – Move Aside “The Kissing Booth”: Lana Condor Shines in New Netflix Rom Com
Leila Taherian – Population Growth Sparks a Need for Better Public Transportation
Taila Lee – Dressing for Success: New Dress Code Approved in Alameda After Two Years
Chloe Postlewaite – The Benefits of Bloom
Liam Lee – Democrats Hope to Pass New Policies After the Midterms
Emma Chiu – City Council Candidates Weigh in on the Housing Crisis
Holly Rusch – Juuls in Schools: FDA Announces Teen Vaping “Epidemic”
Chloe Postlewaite – Meme Page Popularity
Emma Chiu – East Palo Alto Leans Left in Midterms
Sam Brook – Camp Fire Sparks Students to Wear Masks for Protection
Noelia Arteaga – Social Media Aides Voter Turnout
Holly Rusch and Leila Taherian – This I Believe
Tessa Bertine – Unhealthy Air Quality Interrupts Fundraising Friday
Liam Lee – GSA Aims to Eliminate Gendered Graduation Robes
Emma Chiu – Harvard Lawsuit Poses a New Threat to Affirmative Action
Jack Freeman – Deadly Camp Fire Brings Devastation to Butte County
Holly Rusch and Noelia Arteaga (additional contributions by Emma Chiu, Chloe Postlewaite, Taila Lee, Isabella Williams) – Woodside Spanish Teacher, Brett Bowles, Resigns Amidst Controversy
Sam Brook – I-wing Bathroom Closure Causes Inconvenience But Protects from Larger Issue
Emma Chiu – Oval Office or Bust: Nine Democratic Candidates Declare a Presidential Campaign
Taila Lee – Sweeter Than Sweetener: Why We Should Thank Ariana Grande for thank u, next
Noelia Arteaga – The Scoop on the College Bribery Scandal
Taila Lee – Billie Eilish Stuns With a Haunting Debut Album
Taila Lee – Khalid Unites His Music With Cinema in “Free Spirit”
Taila Lee and Emma Chiu – Young Conservatives Club Encourages Political Discussions at Woodside
Spencer Graham – The LGBTQ Fight Will Continue
Emma Chiu – Stigma, Silence, and Slang
Taila Lee and Chloe Postlewaite – Why Being Polite Isn’t Always a Good Thing
Taila Lee – Everything You Missed in Taylor Swift’s “ME!” Music Video
Cody Bowers – Avengers: Endgame Smashes Pre-sales Records on Way to Box Office
Sam Brook – Derogatory Language in the Liberal Bay Area
Tessa Bertine – Forty Days of Controversy
Site Excellence – 2018 to 2019
The Paw Print received SNO’s Site Excellence Badge, where students had to “customize their homepage beyond the initial SNO design with a clear sense of purpose for every element on the homepage.”
Story Page Excellence – 2018 to 2019
The Paw Print received SNO’s Story Page Excellence Badge, where students had to create eight stories “that go beyond the text to enhance the reader’s experience.” They used different templates to add engaging elements to articles, and they added interactive pieces to the website.
Audience Engagement – 2018 to 2019
The Paw Print received SNO’s Audience Engagement Badge, where students had to use social media to engage their audience while gaining over 1,000 total followers. They also studied their analytics, and got thousands of page views on their website.
Multimedia – 2018 to 2019
The Paw Print received SNO’s Multimedia Badge, where students produced multiple high-quality videos, podcasts, and three photo slideshows. They learned how to create effective and engaging pieces on different platforms, and they learned the differences between different types of media.
Continuous Coverage – 2018 to 2019
The Paw Print received SNO’s Continuous Coverage Badge, where students updated the Paw Print site regularly throughout the school year and demonstrated a commitment to timely online journalism.
Journalism Education Association (JEA) Convention (Chicago, IL) – Fall 2018
Woodside Journalism II and III students traveled to Chicago to attend the JEA Convention and participate in competitions with other schools across the country. The following students received honors from JEA.
Emma Chiu – Newswriting – Honorable Mention
Noelia Arteaga – Sports Writing – Honorable Mention
Chloe Postlewaite* – Online News Package – Honorable Mention
Isabella Williams* – Online News Package – Honorable Mention
Taila Lee* – Online News Package – Honorable Mention
*Chloe Postlewaite, Isabella Williams, and Taila Lee participated in a group competition to collaboratively produce an online news package about 2018 midterms. You can view their project here, which was published on the Paw Print as a submission.
2017-2018
Journalism Education Association (JEA) Awards – 2017 to 2018
The following awards were presented to journalism and video students by JEA.
Digital Media Live Coverage
First Place – “Woodside Walkout Live Coverage”
Anchors: Jess O’Neill, Sean Moriarty, Field Reporter: Holly Rusch
Woodside TV Live Breaking News Crew: Philip Moises, Brendan Peck, Justin Swan, Scott Morimoto
Second Place – “RWC March for Our Lives Live Coverage”
Anchors: Mykha Latimer, Stefan Sujansky, Field Reporter: Leila Taherian
Woodside TV Live Thursday Crew: Philip Moises, Brendan Peck, Daniel Moreno, Gianna V., Ivria Crane, Ryan Quinn
Digital Media News Website Design
Honorable Mention – Isabella Williams (Online Editor and 2018-2019 Co-Editor-in-Chief)
News Story
Honorable Mention – Sean Moriarty (Politics Staff Writer)
Sports Story
Honorable Mention – Aaron Raubvogel (2017-2018 Co-Editor-in-Chief)
Video News Package
Third Place – Scott Morimoto (Woodside TV Live Reporter)
Digital Media Photo Slideshow
Honorable Mention – Joseph Balsama (Photo Editor)