Cypress Falls High School senior Alex Benito was named by the Texas Association of Journalism Educators (TAJE) as the Texas High School Journalist of the Year.

Benito will go on to compete in the Journalism Education Association (JEA) national competition at the National Convention, scheduled for April 17-20 in Anaheim, Calif. He is the second Cypress Falls student to earn this title; his brother, Marcelino, won it in 2006 before going on to win the National High School Journalist of the Year award.

Wingspan

“I’ve wanted this for a really long time,” Benito said. “When I heard that I had won, I couldn’t believe it. I had to take a Government test right afterward and I wasn’t really focused.

“My brother was ecstatic when I told him. We talked about keeping it in the family. You’d think in a sibling rivalry that he’d be ticked off, but he was very happy for me.”

The first editor-in-chief for Cypress Falls’ online newspaper, the Wingspan Online, Benito has won several journalism awards during his high school career. He won three Excellent awards from TAJE in 2008; a Superior award in 2007 from TAJE for his Photography Portfolio; a Superior award from NSPA in 2007 for his Photography Portfolio; the Most Creative Photo Essay in the 2006 CFISD Summer Publications Workshop; and an Excellent award in 2006 from TAJE in the On-site Photography competition.

To win the title, Benito submitted a 46-page portfolio containing writing, photography and design.

Benito is also a member of National Honor Society. He has already been accepted at St. John’s University, but is waiting on confirmation from New York University—his No. 1 choice—on April 1.

“Alex takes his position as editor very seriously and continuously strives to perfect the paper’s appeal to its readership,” said Lisa Van Etta, Cypress Falls HS publications adviser. “He stepped out of his brother’s shadow and made a name for himself as an award-winning photojournalist in addition to a valuable staff member of both the newspaper and yearbook publications as a skilled writer.”

After being named Texas High School Journalist of the Year, Cypress Falls High School senior Alex Benito has a new goal within his view: winning JEA National Journalist of the Year as his brother, Marcelino, did in 2006.