Urban Legend journalists won 17 awards in the National Federation of Press Women’s 2012 High School Communications Contest. The California Press Women association held the awards ceremony on April 11 at the Conservatory of Flowers in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.

Legend adviser Beatrice Motamedi says “for me, especially in Urban’s culture, where awards aren’t necessary, it’s nice to have outside validation of the excellent work students are doing. Also, and I know this sounds teacherly, they’re always group awards. Each of these stories was edited, copyedited, fact checked, designed and scrutinized by the whole group. So no single person wins an award and I’m very happy for the entire class.”

Jason Cinti (’12), a big winner this year who attended the ceremony with his mother, says “Urban dominated once again this year and I’m really proud to be a part of it. Also, the Conservatory of Flowers was a great venue.”

Here are the awards won by Legend staffers:

• Second place, News story, Ella McLeod, “Dolores Park renovations to make landmark safer”
• Second place, Opinion, David Immerman, “Take a look at your privilege”
• Second place, Sports, Jason Cinti, “The injury you might not even know you have”
• Second place, Features, Jonathan Baer, “The Occupy movement camps out in San Francisco”
• Second place, Review, Zoe Pleasure, “Bored by what’s on TV? Try an older show”
• Second place, Double Truck (Centerspread) Layout, Cassiel Chadwick, “An exchange with China”
• Third place, Graphics, Cassiel Chadwick and Tessa Petrich, “Equity at Urban”
• Third place, Graphics, Cody Siler, “Bombay versus the Bay”
• Third place, Sports, Jason Cinti, “Sanfranpreps shines a light on high school athletes’ untold stories”
• Third place, Double Truck Layout, Cassiel Chadwick, “Equity at Urban”
• Honorable mention, Double Truck Layout, Cody Siler and Zoe Pleasure, “Urban in the wintertime”
• Honorable mention, Opinion, Kyra Bergsund, “There’s brilliance behind mashup genre”
• Honorable mention, Editorial, Jason Cinti, “Just call it rape”
• Honorable mention, Graphics, Kyra Bergsund, “Got homework?”
• Honorable mention, Graphics, Tessa Petrich, “Debates act as battlefield for Republican candidates”
• Honorable mention, Features, Emily Wen, “China students feel freedom at Urban”
• Honorable mention, Environmental Reporting, Marney Kline, “‘Tis the season to eat meat”