NSPA honors innovation

Five scholastic media programs named
Pacemaker finalists

Feb. 24, 2023

MINNEAPOLIS — Student media programs from five high schools have been honored by the National Scholastic Press Association as finalists in its Innovation Pacemaker competition.

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 Innovation Pacemaker is designed to encourage out-of-the-box thinking and reward student media for the courage to take chances to improve service to their customers, readers and communities.

“Student media is rapidly changing and top programs are finding innovative ways to deliver content to their readers while building unified and converged teams,” associate director Gary Lundgren said. “Print is now just one component — there is far more to a successful student media program than publishing the campus newspaper and yearbook.”

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

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.

Highlander
Carlmont High School
Belmont, California
Student leaders: Urvi Kulkarni, Lucille Sanders
Adviser: Justin Raisner

The Image
Dos Pueblos High School
Goleta, California
Student leaders: Amelia VanderMay, Sienna Valentine
Adviser: John Dent

Seeds in the Black Earth
Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts
West Palm Beach, Florida
Student leaders: Phoenix Medley, Max Popovic, and Sarah Sams
Adviser: Brittany Rigdon

NCHS Live!
North Central High School
Indianapolis, Indiana
Student leaders: Gus Osborn, Lucy Pappas
Adviser: Tom Gayda

FHNtodayTV
Francis Howell North High School
St. Charles, Missouri
Student leaders: Jackson Cutlan, Parker Smith, Marina Williams
Adviser: Aaron Manfull