The achievements, accomplishments, and journeys of CUSD kids portrayed in stories and photographs for CUSD Insider grabbed the attention of judges in the 2025 Orange County Press Club Awards.
On Wednesday, June 18, CUSD Insider gathered four first-place awards at the 2025 Excellence in Journalism Contest, in another year of strong recognition of the work that appeared in the Capistrano Unified School District online publication.
Telling stories of perseverance, culture, and inclusion, Greg Mellen won three first-place awards, in News, Music/Entertainment, and Arts/Culture, and a second-place nod in Features. For the second straight year, Paul Rodriguez was spotlighted for capturing the joyous and often little-noticed moments of high school graduation.
”STEPS program’s Turbo Cafe hitting on all cylinders,” told the story of special education students who prepare and sell restaurant-quality meals to the masses.
Judges wrote of the story, “A colorful presentation of a successful special education program that helps readers understand the value of innovative local approaches to teaching life skills. The story is deeply reported, told in detail, and full of fun quotes.”
”Learning Mandarin keeps Huntington Beach kids (and their mom) immersed and on the go,” detailed one family’s journey through CUSD’s celebrated Chinese language immersion program.
“Artist of the Year discovers passion for musical theater following challenging experiences,” tells of Capo Valley’s McKenzie Cahill and how the arts helped her grapple with racism and the bullying of her little sister.
And “Galactic Achievement for ATP Special Olympics athlete,” a second-place story, follows the journey of Adult Transition Program student Justin Boos to earn a spot on the LA Galaxy Special Olympics team.
One judge wrote, “I felt like I was on a ride with Justin Boos and his amazing experience!”
Rodriguez caught a heart-warming moment from a Dana Hills graduate with a “First Generation” scarf waving to her family.
The latest haul brings the total number of Press Club awards to 11 in the past four years for the innovative online publication.
The Orange County Press Club annual contest recognizes outstanding Orange County journalism from stories published in the previous calendar year.