Nov. 11, 2201

National Scholastic Press Association salutes the winners of its 2021 Story of the Year competition.

Winners of NSPA Individual Awards, plus NSPA Pacemaker Awards in Broadcast, Newspaper/Newsmagazine and Specialty Magazine, were announced during the JEA/NSPA Fall National High School Journalism Convention on Nov. 11, 2021, in a virtual awards ceremony.

First
“Their own fight”
Toby Barrett, Austin Williams
Focus Magazine
St. Mark’s School of Texas
Dallas, Texas

Second
“KHS alumni share stories of sexual abuse”
Molly Higgins
The Kirkwood Call
Kirkwood High School
Kirkwood, Missouri

Third
“SMN Mascot plans to retire during 2020-21 school year”
Anna Miesner
The Mission
Shawnee Mission North High School
Overland Park, Kansas

Fourth
“FBI opens civil rights investigation into 2018 police shooting of BVNW student”
Emma Johnson
BVNWnews
Blue Valley Northwest High School
Overland Park, Kansas

Fifth
“Strong through separation”
Austin Williams, Toby Barrett
The ReMarker
St. Mark’s School of Texas
Dallas, Texas

Honorable Mention
“BOUSD Board of Education Seat Determined by Roll of Dice”
Doyon Kim
The Wildcat Online
Brea Olinda High School
Brea, California

Honorable Mention
“Off the market: How Robinhood’s mission to democratize trading highlights a bigger problem of financial illiteracy”
Anushka De
El Estoque
Monta Vista High School
Cupertino, California

Honorable Mention
“PAUSD proposes new reopening plan for secondary schools”
Valerie Chu, Jace Purcell
The Campanile
Palo Alto High School
Palo Alto, California

Honorable Mention
“Risks of Returning”
Megan Miranda
Spark
Lakota East High School
Liberty Township, Ohio

Honorable Mention
“Taking on Wall Street”
Toby Barrett, Austin Williams
The ReMarker
St. Mark’s School of Texas
Dallas, Texas

First
“Miles for Miles”
Madi Olivier
The Marquee
Marcus High School
Flower Mound, Texas

Second
“Living Through Fear”
Maddie Oliver, Lizzie Lively, Erin Reece, Mitri Krishna
The Express
Blue Valley Northwest High School
Overland Park, Kansas

Third
“Becoming myself: Brendon Rich”
Sophia Arndt
The Pony Express
Stillwater Area High School
Stillwater, Minnesota

Fourth
“Kirsch family seeks peace after another tragic loss”
Kathleen Ortiz
Kingwood Park Times
Kingwood Park High School
Kingwood, Texas

Fifth
“Self-medication: When substance abuse and mental health collide”
Ari Bowman, Eleanor Creelman, Greta Miller
The Stinger
Emmaus High School
Emmaus, Pennsylvania

Honorable Mention
“Title IX: Reporting Sexual Misconduct at PAUSD”
Gina Bae, Gianna Brogley, Avantika Singh
The Campanile
Palo Alto High School
Palo Alto, California

Honorable Mention
“It was supposed to be a hospital, but it was basically a prison”
Leila Faraday, Sofia Roehrig
Silver Chips
Montgomery Blair High School
Silver Spring, Maryland

Honorable Mention
“Rising from the ashes: activist reflects on 9/11, works to spread freedom”
Amanda Hare, Sailor Jane Mackenzie
Eagle Nation Online
Prosper High School
Prosper, Texas

Honorable Mention
“No place to call home”
Gillian Knowles
The Edge
Pleasant Grove High School
Texarkana, Texas

Honorable Mention
“Confronting toxic masculinity”
Emily Forgash, Cameron Spurr
The Standard
The American School in London
London, United Kingdom

First
“Beyond the binary”
Hanah Kitamoto, Caroline Mascardo
West Side Story
Iowa City West High School
Iowa City, Iowa

Second
“Grady Stadium renamed in remembrance of Eddie S. Henderson”
Ava Smith
The Southerner
Midtown High School
Atlanta, Georgia

Third
“XC coach let go in surprise move to team; School board approves replacement”
Erick De La Rosa, Greta Miller
The Stinger
Emmaus High School
Emmaus, Pennsylvania

Fourth
“SPC cancels fall sports, leaving athletes unsure”
Peter Orsak, Luke Nayfa
The ReMarker
St. Mark’s School of Texas
Dallas, Texas

Fifth
“Ball in a new court”
Hyunsung Na
The Marquee
Marcus High School
Flower Mound, Texas

Honorable Mention
“Sneakerheads: How sneaker culture impacts the basketball team”
Raegan Knobbe
The Union St. Journal
Cherry Creek High School
Greenwood Village, Colorado

Honorable Mention
“Hobbs Makes History”
Dan Gutenberg
The Communicator Magazine
Community High School
Ann Arbor, Michigan

Honorable Mention
“Making History”
Sophia Sutter
El Paisano
Westlake High School
Austin, Texas

Honorable Mention
“Reaching for the rings”
Sophia Craig
The Marquee
Marcus High School
Flower Mound, Texas

Honorable Mention
“Standing out is all Emma Yeager knows”
Maya Ortiz
Kingwood Park Times
Kingwood Park High School
Kingwood, Texas

First
“Nevada needs to end poverty period”
Staff
Southwest Shadow
Southwest Career and Technical Academy
Las Vegas, Nevada

Second
“Drug testing isn’t the best option for students”
Staff
The Marquee
Marcus High School
Flower Mound, Texas

Third
“Call Ed: White people you’ve had your rest”
Olivia Silvey
The Kirkwood Call
Kirkwood High School
Kirkwood, Missouri

Fourth
“We can handle the whole truth”
Ellen Fox
The Shield Online
McCallum High School
Austin, Texas

Fifth
“Tinker 2.0: Protect Students’ Rights”
Aleena Gul, Polina Zubarev
The Highlander
McLean High School
McLean, Virginia

Honorable Mention
“Fear, loathing and anonymity”
Molly Litvak
The Boiling Point
Shalhevet High School
Los Angeles, California

Honorable Mention
“Evening the Playing Field”
Jack Ververis
The Trinity Voice
Trinity Preparatory School
Winter Park, Florida

Honorable Mention
“An open letter to a new year. We implore you.”
Staff
The Slate
Northern Lehigh High School
Slatington, Pennsylvania

Honorable Mention
“Senator Cruz, it’s time to go.”
Staff
The ReMarker
St. Mark’s School of Texas
Dallas, Texas

Honorable Mention
“Vote For Religious Tolerance”
Saisha Dani, Shruthi Manimaran
The Highlander
McLean High School
McLean, Virginia

First
“What We Learned from Those Who Feel Invisible”
Kaja Andric, Sam Cohen
The Muse
Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts
West Palm Beach, Florida

Second
“Opinion: The illusion of politics, how to play the game”
Jacquelyn Burrer
The Hawk Eye
Hebron High School
Carrollton, Texas

Third
“Talks with my father”
Jamie Mahowald
Focus Magazine
St. Mark’s School of Texas
Dallas, Texas

Fourth
“P.S. I won”
Lindsey Hughes
The Red Ledger
Lovejoy High School
Lucas, Texas

Fifth
“Anger. Confusion. Hurt. Embarrassment. January 6.”
Eva Levin
Highlights
Beverly Hills High School
Beverly Hills, California

Honorable Mention
“Va-MINE-a”
Anushka De, Oishee Misra
El Estoque
Monta Vista High School
Cupertino, California

Honorable Mention
“This Is Not About Abortion”
Isabelle Brady
The Talon
Del Norte High School
San Diego, California

Honorable Mention
“Fridays at the Club”
Morgan Tate
The Northwest Passage
Shawnee Mission Northwest High School
Shawnee, Kansas

Honorable Mention
“The woke left’s thirst for retribution”
Ahmed Ahmed
Southwest Shadow
Southwest Career and Technical Academy
Las Vegas, Nevada

Honorable Mention
“America to me”
SeMaj Musco
Focus Magazine
St. Mark’s School of Texas
Dallas, Texas