![Wayland High School Class of 2019 alum Devin Wong is the new assistant coach of Harvard University Nordic Ski Team. "I’m excited to be a part of a new team and coaching staff am motivated to learn from [head coach] Cate Brams and grow as a coach and wax tech," Wong said.](https://waylandstudentpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/09-27-24-NSKI-Wong-Announcement-1920x1080-1-e1730466291327-1200x704.jpg)
On Saturday, April 6, the Wayland Student Press Network (WSPN) won first place in the NSPA (National Scholastic Press Association) Best of Show Award competition for online newspapers with a student body under 1,800 and won its fifth consecutive Online Pacemaker at the NSPA/JEA Spring National High School Journalism Convention in Kansas City. More than 2,500 high school journalists and advisors attended this year’s convention from 30 states and two countries. 41 WSPN staff members attended the Kansas City convention.
NSPA Best of Show Award for website category:
Because of the differing sizes of high school publications, NSPA separates the Best of Show Award for online news into two categories: one category with high school enrollment under 1,800 students, and the other with enrollment over 1,800 students. WSPN won first place in the Best of Show Award for the former category. The NSPA Best of Show Awards ranked the best online news publications that attended the Spring National Journalism Convention in Kansas City, MO. Only ten schools were selected for this prestigious award, and WSPN was awarded with a first place trophy.
2023 Online Pacemaker winner:
WSPN also won its fifth consecutive Online Pacemaker. The Pacemaker Award is given to student media publications that display excellence in journalism, and it is one of the oldest awards for scholastic journalism. Out of 132 applicants and 26 finalists nationwide this year, WSPN was one of 12 schools to win a Pacemaker Award. WSPN received its finalist plaque during the convention’s opening ceremony on Thursday, April 4 and was named an official Pacemaker winner at the awards ceremony on Saturday, April 6.
Quill & Scroll awards:
Before the convention, currently enrolled high school students were invited to enter the Quill & Scroll Writing, Photo, and Multimedia contests. Quill & Scroll awards recognize outstanding student writing, photography and multimedia. Listed from lowest ranking to highest ranking, contest awards were separated into four categories: honorable mentions, third place, second place and first place.
- News writing, honorable mention: Nadya Chase and Talia Macchi
- Column writing – non sports, honorable mention: Ryan Chase
- Sports action photography, first place: Sasha Libenzon
WSPN student media contest award recipients:
While at the convention, student journalists participated in the Journalism Education Association (JEA) media contests. Some media contests required students to submit their work before the convention to receive on-site critiques, while other contests took place during the convention. Listed from lowest ranking to highest ranking, contest awards were separated into three categories: honorable mention, excellent and superior.
- Online news package, superior award: Bella Schreiber, Tina Su and Hallie Luo
- First year photo, excellent award: Edge Wheeler
- Press law and ethics, honorable mention: Penelope Biddle
- News writing, excellent award: Ainsley Jay
