The Wenatchee High School Apple Leaf newspaper earned fifth place in Best of Show at the National High School Journalism Convention in Denver on April 20.

The award marks the fourth consecutive year and eighth time in the last 10 years that the Apple Leaf has placed in the top 10 nationally for the Best of Show category.

More than 2,700 student from 137 schools participated in the competitions, which included write-offs. Three WHS students earned honors in the write-offs: senior Luke Strahm, excellent in first-year newspaper photography; senior Skylar Lewis (WaWa yearbook), excellent in yearbook sports photography; and junior Evie Hyde, honorable mention in newspaper layout and design.

“We did pretty well having several people and our whole paper recognized out of the hundreds of people and papers there,” Hyde said. “I went to the convention last year, and we brought a lot more people, so it’s really cool that we placed. I think a lot of people don’t realize how good our paper actually is compared to other schools around the state and the nation.”

The write-offs follow a three-tier rating system: superior, excellent, and honorable mention.