Senior Jayden Bonham, Junior Khristian Banks, and Junior Ty McDermott will represent MMI Preparatory School at the state finals of the Pennsylvania School Press Association’s Student Journalism Competition. The state finals will be held on March 30, 2022, at Penn State University’s University Park campus.

Bonham took first place in the Literary Magazine Poetry competition. In this category, students write an original poem for a literary magazine using the theme and length given. Entrants must title the poem and clearly indicate lines through identification and use of margins. Students are to exhibit an understanding of poetry, its conventions, punctuation and potential to create a setting, convey a tone, connect to feelings and to delve beyond the surface. He is the son of W. Craig Bonham and Melissa Bonham of Sugarloaf.

Banks took first place in the Yearbook Caption Writing competition. For this category, students write captions and lead-ins for five provided pictures. Captions must tell a complete story and should have a minimum length of three sentences. She is the daughter of Michael and Renee Banks of Mountain Top.

McDermott took first place for Literary Magazine Artwork. In this category, students are given a poem written by a professional poet. After reading the poem, students will create a drawing that is relevant to the poem and that would accompany the poem in the literary magazine. He is the son of Terrence and Lesley McDermott of White Haven. Mrs. Jennifer Novotney, MMI English Department Chair, serves as the advisor for this competition. 

The Pennsylvania School Press Association Student Journalism Competition features education and competitions for every student journalist in Pennsylvania. The event includes writing, design and artistic opportunities similar to those offered at the Journalism Education Association’s semi-annual conventions.

^{Pictured from left to right are Mrs. Jennifer Novotney, Khristian Banks, Jayden Bonham, and Ty McDermott.}