St. John's School
Each year, the National Scholastic Press Association recognizes excellence in student media with scholastic journalism’s preeminent award, the Pacemaker. Pacemakers are awarded in each category of publication — online, newspaper, yearbook, magazine and broadcast.
Entries are judged by teams of professionals based on the following criteria: coverage and content, quality of writing and reporting, leadership, design, photography and graphics.
NSPA contacted David Nathan, adviser of 2015 Pacemaker recipient The Review, for a Q&A. The Review is the student publication of St. John’s School in Houston, Texas. The Review won a Pacemaker in the tabloid, 16 or fewer pages category.
NSPA: Tell us a little about the editors and staff of your Pacemaker-winning publication.
David Nathan: The Review editors were all about stepping up when needed. Whenever an article required another quotation, design wanted another info graphic, or layout lacked a photo, someone always came through.
Our EICs, Megan and Rebecca, were newspaper “lifers”, and they challenged the editors and staff to be daring and creative. Nothing in our paper is set in stone — we re-design every year, so the editors have total ownership.
NSPA: How did the staff ensure the quality of the publication?
DN: According to the job descriptions, the editorial board determines content for op-ed pieces and the in-depth center spreads/cover stories.
Assignments editors decide which stories will be written and match them with writers, and then they shepherd the reporters through the writing process, with help from copy editors, to get the stories ready for publication.
Design and photo editors come up with the look of the paper and copy editors write the headlines and captions. In reality, everyone does a little of everything, and somehow it all works out. It’s a mystery.
NSPA: Is there any one issue, story, photo, or package that stood out during the year?
DN: I’m always proud of our final issue of the year — the new editors take over, while the outgoing editors are responsible for a college pullout section. The Year in Review center spread allows us to look back and see all that we’ve covered and how much we’ve grown. It’s the ghost of newspapers past, present and future all at once.
NSPA: Tell us about a hardship or obstacle you felt your staff overcame.
DN: We stirred up a fair bit of controversy with a small op-ed blurb in the very first issue, and in the spring we met a lot of resistance with an in-depth four-page pullout on depression. In the end, we had to shelve the section for months to re-work almost every story and photo.
By the time it finally came out in April, it was the most talked about story of the year. When we won our Pacemaker, the cover of the “Depression” issue was featured. The story and design has won us numerous awards, so we feel vindicated, but it wouldn’t have been as good if we’d rushed it into print or ignored the concerns of others. We took our time and got it right.
NSPA: What qualities will you remember the most about this Pacemaker-winning staff?
DN: The 2014-2015 staff simultaneously energized me and wore me out. I spent a week in Indiana with editors over the summer and also traveled with even more editors to the NSPA Convention in Washington, DC.
We spent more time on weekends and late-nights with each other than we did with our own families. After every issue went to press, we’d come in the next day and try to figure out how tell our stories better.
NSPA: What does the Pacemaker mean to you and your staff?
DN: The Pacemaker is the ultimate in delayed gratification. The seniors were long graduated by the time we found out we had won in Orlando. Since it was our first time as a Finalist, we were happy just being on the list (and getting to wear name badges with the PACEMAKER FINALIST label on them).
The Pacemaker was our white whale, and finally getting one was a reminder of just how far the program has come in the last five years. I contacted all my former Editors-in-Chief and thanked them for making it all possible.