THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 10, 1994 TAG: 9406100057
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: B4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
DATELINE: 940610 LENGTH: Medium
Michelle Mizal, a senior at Virginia Beach's Tallwood High, and Karl Mertig, a senior at Suffolk's Nansemond River High, have been awarded $500 scholarships by The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star.
{REST} Michelle and Karl were selected as the most promising of the newspapers' 120 high school corres-pondents.
Michelle, a second-year correspondent, is a regular contributor to the Teenology section. Her stories have included a stream-of-consciousness piece on the first day of school, a profile on a pair of teenage cyclists and a piece about a new scholarship catalog. She even wrote Teenspeak when it came to her school. And three times, Michelle captured the lead story position in the Teenology section.
Those stories featured a local, but well-known, clothes designer; a program that encourages legal graffiti; and a probe on whether students should sit on school boards. She will continue to write as a campus correspondent.
Karl, who was a first-year correspondent, quickly proved that he had what it takes to be a solid reporter. His first story, a Teenology centerpiece, burst the myth that teens only like rock and heavy metal. Karl found that radio rating books were reporting more teens than ever listened to country, and he turned out a first-rate story on the phenomenon.
Karl also wrote a cover story for the Sun, the community news tabloid in Suffolk, on the area's skateboarding craze. He contributed to a wrap-up of teen nightclubs and participated in a recent forum on school integration. He will also continue to contribute as a campus correspondent.
by CNB