Inquisitive student journalists looking to delve deeper into campus issues helped propel Hawaii Baptist Academy's student newspaper to tops in the state yesterday in the 2009 Hawai'i State High School Journalism Awards.

The first-place win as Hawai'i's best high school newspaper was the fourth overall win for Hawaii Baptist Academy, Advertiser editor Mark Platte said in presenting the award at the Pagoda Hotel & Restaurant.

George Honzaki, the faculty adviser for Hawaii Baptist Academy's Eagle Eye newspaper, has been encouraging his student-journalists to look at all angles of a story and to have their reporting include as many knowledgeable sources as possible.

"We've been really trying to go deeper in our writing and reporting," Honzaki said.

Joshua Shon, the Eagle Eye's 18-year-old editor in chief, accepted the plaque from Platte and said afterward that the student newspaper plays a critical role at Hawaii Baptist Academy.

"If we didn't have a newspaper, there would be a huge information gap in the school," Shon said. "Many students would feel that they aren't up-to-date on a lot of the issues that are going on within the campus."

The awards are sponsored by the Hawai'i Publishers Association, The Advertiser and the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

HIGH SCHOOL JOURNALISM AWARDS

Overall: 1. Hawaii Baptist Academy Eagle Eye (George Honzaki, adviser). 2. Moanalua High School. 3. Campbell High School. Merit Award Established Division, Kamehameha Schools-Kapalama. Merit Award Intermediate Division, Radford High School. Merit Award Beginning Division, Damien Memorial School.

Best single issue: Moanalua High School.

DISTRICT WINNERS (and best in state):

News writing: Moanalua (best in state), Hawaii Baptist, Kailua, Kaiser, Kamehameha-Hawai'i, Lahainaluna, Wai'anae.

Editorial writing: Mililani (best in state), Hawaiian Mission Academy, Kaiser, Kamehameha-Hawai'i, Kamehameha-Maui, Le Jardin Academy, Wai'anae.

Editorial cartoon: Kaiser (best in state), Kailua, Kamehameha-Kapalama, Kamehameha-Maui, Mililani, Waiakea, Wai'anae.

Sports writing: Wai'anae (best in state), 'Iolani, Kailua, Kaiser, Kohala, Lahainaluna, Mililani.

Feature writing: Wai'anae (best in state), Kailua, Kaiser, Kamehameha-Kapalama, Lahainaluna, Radford, Waiakea.

Photography: Hawaii Baptist (best in state), Kailua, Kamehameha-Maui, McKinley, Moanalua, Waiakea, Waipahu.

Illustration: Waipahu (best in state), 'Iolani, Kailua, Kaiser, Kamehameha-Hawai'i, Kamehameha-Maui, Moanalua.

Layout & design: Kamehameha-Maui (best in state), Hawaii Baptist, Kaimuki, Le Jardin Academy, Moanalua, Waiakea, Waipahu.