NSPA names ‘best of the best’

Pacemaker competition recognizes
24 high school news sites for journalistic excellence

Feb. 24, 2023

MINNEAPOLIS — The nation’s top scholastic news sites were recognized today by the National Scholastic Press Association, which announced 24 finalists in its annual Pacemaker competition.

While the judges have named the Pacemaker finalists, the Pacemaker winners have not been selected.

 “The judging teams will now continue to study the sites named as Pacemaker finalists on a frequent basis,” said Gary Lundgren, associate director and coordinator of the Pacemaker competition. “The Pacemaker winners will be selected shortly before they are named in April, so for the 24 schools we are naming as finalists today, the competition is still happening in real time.”

Pacemaker finalists will be honored and will receive plaques during the opening ceremony of the JEA/NSPA Spring National High School Journalism Convention at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 20, in San Francisco.

Pacemaker winners will be announced for the first time at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, April 22, at the convention’s awards ceremony.

The NSPA Pacemaker, one of the oldest awards for scholastic journalism, has a rich tradition. The association started presenting the prestigious award to high school newspapers soon after the organization was founded in 1921. Throughout the years, yearbooks, magazines, online sites and broadcast programs were added to the competition. 

“The Pacemaker is the association’s preeminent award,” Executive Director Laura Widmer said. “NSPA is honored to recognize the best of the best.”

The 24 Pacemaker finalists represent 11 states. California and Texas led with six finalists, followed by Massachusetts with three.

To select the Pacemaker finalists, judges carefully studied approximately 125 sites submitted from 28 states.

The online sites competed in two different categories based on school population. Two teams of three judges studied every entry, analyzing its strengths. The status of each entry was agreed upon by at least two of the three judges.

In this competition, only the online news product was judged. The news sites were either digital companions to print newspapers and newsmagazines or online-only products. In all, 85 sites were companions to print newspapers and newsmagazines and 40 were online-only products.

A separate 2022 NSPA Newspaper/Newsmagazine Pacemaker competition recognized 38 print news publications and specialty magazines in November. In all, eight schools earned Pacemaker recognition for both their print and online products.

Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School
Belmont, California
Editor-in-chief: Hudson Fox
Adviser: Justin Raisner

El Estoque
Monta Vista High School
Cupertino, California
Editors-in-chief: Michelle Chen, Anushka De, Jayanti Jha
Adviser: Julia Satterthwaite

The Boiling Point
Shalhevet High School
Los Angeles, California
Editors-in-chief: Benjamin Gamson, Tali Liebenthal, Tomomi Shaw
Adviser: Joelle Keene

The Paly Voice
Palo Alto High School
Palo Alto, California
Editors-in-chief: Payton Anderson, Jonathan Chen, Brennen Ho
Adviser: Paul Kandell

The Chronicle
Harvard-Westlake School
Studio City, California
Editors-in-chief: Natalie Cosgrove, Will Sherwood
Adviser: Billy Montgomery

The Foothill Dragon Press
Foothill Technology High School
Ventura, California
Editors-in-chief: Jonah Billings, Caroline Hubner
Adviser: Yiu Hung Li

The BluePrint
Hagerty High School
Oviedo, Florida
Editors-in-chief: Skyler Glenn, Janell Lim
Adviser: Brit Taylor

Eagle Eye
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
Parkland, Florida
Editors-in-chief: Ivy Lam, Julia Landy, Travis Newbery, Lily Singer
Adviser: Melissa Falkowski

The Southerner
Midtown High School
Atlanta, Georgia
Editors-in-chief: Greta Gustafson, Jamie Marlowe, Aran Sonnad-Joshi,
Sayan Sonnad-Joshi, Archer Streelman
Adviser: Delbert Ellerton

HiLite
Carmel High School
Carmel, Indiana
Editors-in-chief: Archit Kalra, Chenyao Liu
Adviser: Jim Sreisel

The Little Hawk
Iowa City High School
Iowa City, Iowa
Editors-in-chief: Rosangel Flores-Rubio, Lauren Koch
Adviser: Jonathan Rogers

The Harbinger
Shawnee Mission East High School
Prairie Village, Kansas
Editors-in-chief: Lyda Cosgrove, Kate Heitmann
Adviser: Dow Tate

The Gator
Brimmer and May School
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Editors-in-chief: Natalie Kozhemiakin, Edan Zinn
Adviser: David Cutler

The Harbinger
Algonquin Regional High School
Northborough, Massachusetts
Editors-in-chief: Sophia Murray, Jula Utzschneider
Advisers: Lindsay Coppens, Michelle Sheppard

Wayland Student Press Network
Wayland High School
Wayland, Massachusetts
Editors-in-chief: Genevieve Morrison, Emily Roberge
Advisers: Mary Barber, Brian Keaney

The Communicator
Community High School
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Editors-in-chief: Addi Hinesman, Rita Ionides, Anjali Kakarla, Scarlett London
Adviser: Tracy Anderson

FHNtoday
Francis Howell North High School
St. Charles, Missouri
Editors-in-chief: Chloe Ellison, Amber Winkler
Advisers: Jordyn Kiel, Aaron Manfull

Southwest Shadow
Southwest Career and Technical Academy
Las Vegas, Nevada
Editor-in-chief: Tishie Nyitray
Adviser: Matthew LaPorte

The Shield
McCallum High School
Austin, Texas
Editors-in-chief: Evie Barnard, Alice Scott
Adviser: Dave Winter

Coppell Student Media
Coppell High School
Coppell, Texas
Editor-in-chief: Angelina Liu
Advisers: Irma Kennedy, Chase Wofford

Wingspan
Liberty High School
Frisco, Texas
Editors-in-chief: Caroline Caruso, Harley Classe, Erika Pernis, Athena Tseng
Adviser: Brian Higgins

The Rider Online
Legacy High School
Mansfield, Texas
Editor-in-chief: McKenzie Canton
Advisers: Rachel Dearinger, Leland Mallett

Eagle Nation Online
Prosper High School
Prosper, Texas
Editor-in-chief: Kalyani Rao
Adviser: Lisa Roskens

Tiger Times Online
Texas High School
Texarkana, Texas
Editors-in-chief: Joseph Haynes-Stewart, Reese Langdon,
Macy Maynard, Sara Vaughn
Adviser: Clint Smith