Salina Central High School Students Win At KSPA Regional Journalism Contests

Salina Central High School students dominated the Kansas Scholastic Press Association's 2026 Regional Journalism Contest, winning the Wakarusa Regional championship and earning dozens of individual awards.

The KSPA contest drew more than 1,800 entries from students across Kansas competing in 27 categories and 11 classifications organized by geography and school size. Students who placed first through sixth earned the opportunity to advance to the state competition.

Award Winners

Salina Central students earned top honors in multiple categories:

Katherine Chelvan led the pack with five placements: first in copy editing, first in feature writing, third in news writing, third in editorial writing, and fourth in yearbook copy writing.

Carissa Winebrenner took first place in both infographic design and headline writing, plus fourth in news page design.

Danielle Peckham earned first in sports writing, second in yearbook sports writing, third in yearbook copy writing, and fifth in editorial writing.

Tenille Toelle captured five awards, including first in student life photography, second in both sports feature photography and sports action photography, and fourth in sports media photography and social media.

Other award winners included: