NSPA honors innovation

Five scholastic media programs named Pacemaker finalists

March 12, 2025

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 a special recognition ceremony on Friday, April 25, at the JEA/NSPA Spring National High School Journalism Convention in Seattle.

Pacemaker winners will be announced for the first time on Saturday, April 26 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.

Please join us at the JEA/NSPA Spring National High School Journalism Convention April 24-26, 2025, in Seattle.

The convention offers hundreds of instructional sessions, keynote speakers from national newsmakers, dozens of media critiques, JEA’s popular on-site media contests and the announcement of NSPA Pacemaker winners. NSPA also offers a convention Best of Show competition that celebrates current student media work.

El Estoque
Monta Vista High School
Cupertino, California
Student Leadership: Samika Bhatkar, Ananya Chaudhary, Kathryn Foo, Jami Lim, Alan Tai, Alyssa Yang
Advisers: Vennessa Nava, Julia Satterthwaite

The Image
Dos Pueblos High School
Goleta, California
Student Leadership: Staff
Adviser: John Dent

NCHS Live!
North Central High School
Indianapolis, Indiana
Student Leadership: Abel Flessner, Anna Grueninger, Cailyn Roberton
Adviser: Tom Gayda

LHS Publications
Liberty High School
Lake Saint Louis, Missouri
Student Leadership: Lilly Brown, Amber Sethaler
Adviser: Jonathan Hall

The Standard
The American School in London
London, England
Student Leadership: Sophia Bateman, Oskar Doepke
Adviser: Louisa Avery