An interactive Web site established by students in West Virginia University’s P.I. Reed School of Journalism captured first place for online indepth reporting at the Society of Professional Journalists’Region 4Mark of Excellencecompetition held April 7-8 in Cincinnati .

The Web site,Starting Over: Loss and Renewal in Katrina’s Aftermath, was created last November to document the stories of Hurricane Katrina evacuees who sought refuge at Preston County’s Camp Dawson.

It was one of four Journalism School entries to earn first place awards at the competition which draws entries from West Virginia , Ohio , Michigan and parts of Pennsylvania .

Other winners included Justin Weaver of Fairview who captured two first place awards for best radio feature,Katrina StoryReturn Home, and best online feature reporting,History of Camp Dawson; and Christina Marnik of Jefferson Hills , Pa. , for best feature writing,Determination Helps Students.

Students who worked on the award-winning Web site,http://katrinaproject.journalism.wvu.edu, include Weaver, Ivy Guiler, Lingbing Hang, Michael Costello, Casey Cunningham, Drew Epperly, Lindsey Fleming, Barbara Griffin, Amber Miller, Tia Morris, William Jarrett, Robert Rizzuto, Jenny Parsons, Jennifer Simckowitz, Sarah Wesson, Jeff Wright and Colleen Wright.

The multimedia project includes photo essays, written stories, multimedia pieces and documentary footage. The pieces explore how the victims of last summer’s hurricane are coping with the tragedy and rebuilding their lives more than a thousand miles from home.

This is a tremendous achievement for our students and school to be recognized for their professional excellence,said Dean Maryanne Reed.It’s also a validation of our work on the Katrina Project Web site, which has been a labor of love for our students and faculty.