The Exonian Makes Pacemaker Finals

The National Scholastic Press Association and the Newspaper Association of America Foundation named The Exonian a finalist for the Pacemaker award for a high school newspaper in the 9-16 pages Broadsheet category Oct. 6. The Exonian is the only finalist from the Northeastern area of the United States, and one of two finalists on the East Coast. The Pacemaker competition started in 1927 and annually issues awards to the best high school newspapers in the country.

Editor-in-Chief and senior Katie Liptak could not be more proud of how she, the other editors and all of the writers have succeeded in keeping up the high-quality legacy of The Exonian.

"I am thrilled that The Exonian in a finalist for the Pacemaker, and that we are the only finalist in the Northeast," she said. "It has been and is a pleasure to be a part of such a hardworking and passionate team of editors and writers, and I am glad that our efforts are being recognized in this way."

To be considered for the Pacemaker award, The Exonian submitted five different issues and an application. The staff of a NAA-member newspaper and journalism professionals selected the paper a finalist based on "coverage and content, quality of writing and reporting, leadership on the opinion page, evidence of in-depth reporting, design, photography, art and graphics," according to NSPA’s website.

Last year, the Academy’s student-run newspaper qualified as well, but did not end up as one of the nine winners. The Exonian also received finalist honors in 2011 and was named a winner in 2007.

Co-Managing Editor and senior Jay Lee described how much work has has gone into the paper, and how rewarding the experience has been. "The Pacemaker is one of the most coveted awards for high school newspapers, and becoming a finalist attests to the fact that we are one of the top organizations in the nation," he said. "We've looked forward to receiving this news since last spring, when we applied for the contest. This honor is a result of the hard work of all our writers and editors, and we as a board are extremely glad that our weekly efforts have paid off."

The winners will be announced during the awards ceremony on Nov. 8 at the JEA/NSPA Fall National High School Journalism Convention in Washington D.C.