The NSPA Pacemaker, Fall 2011

THE PACEMAKER
Recognizing excellence in student media since 1927.

NATIONAL SCHOLASTIC PRESS ASSOCIATION
Logan Aimone, Executive Director

This presentation is available at slideshare.net/loganaimone
and permission is given for educational use.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

INTRODUCTION
The Pacemaker is the highest honor
in scholastic journalism. For decades, it has
recognized trend-setters and go-getters, effort
and enterprise, achievement and talent.

Today, the Pacemaker continues to recognize
the best student journalism in the nation.


KEEP IN MIND…
The images seen in this presentation are
Newspaper Pacemaker Finalists from the 2010-11
academic year plus 2010 yearbooks and magazines.

Newspaper winners will be announced
at Saturday’s awards ceremony.

Inclusion of a publication in this presentation
does not indicate status as a winner.
Do not read anything into whether
an example was included here.


WHO’S JUDGING?
Pacemaker judges are professionals working in media as
well as a range of experts familiar with student media.

Judges for the 2010-11 NSPA Pacemakers included
working professionals, veteran advisers,
and a team from the Milkweed Editions.


WHO’S JUDGING?
Judging is by team. We ask the media organization to
compile a group with representation from various
departments (writer, editor, designer, photographer, etc.).

Entries are judged holistically. There is not a rubric with
points attached to certain criteria.

Judging is by nature somewhat subjective based on
established standards of scholastic journalism.


HOW DO THEY JUDGE?
• The number of Pacemaker finalists and winners is
proportional to the number of entries.

• The number is not fixed each year, but about half of the
finalists will be named winners.

• This is a contest, not a critique.

• NSPA asks judges to provide general feedback on the finalists.
Some teams are more thorough. Comments will be shared on
our website as part of the winners gallery and in our book,
Best of the High School Press.


WHAT DO THEY JUDGE?
• Content

• Quality of writing and editing

• Presentation: Layout and design

• Photography, art and graphics

• Reporting: Type and depth (newspaper)

• Editorial Leadership (newspaper)

• Overall concept or theme (yearbook, magazine)

CONTENT & COVERAGE
• The publication should accurately reﬂect all aspects of student
life, from academics to sports, arts to community news.

• Newspapers should localize national or regional stories for
their own campus communities. Wire or reprinted copy is
discouraged.


CONTENT & COVERAGE
The front page presents the
reader with a blend of hard
and softer news. It is focused
primarily on campus news
with one story about the
community. The High Tide
knows, the stories have to be
local, local, local.

High Tide
Redondo Union HS
Redondo Beach, Calif.


CONTENT & COVERAGE
When a story with national
impact also has a local facet, it
deserves Page One attention.
Again, the emphasis here is
local.

Update
H.H. Dow HS
Midland, Mich.


CONTENT & COVERAGE
Another page from the same
paper demonstrates good
feature coverage — relevant,
close to home and
interesting. This one presents
student and faculty opinions
on the qualities of a good
teacher.

Update
H.H. Dow HS
Midland, Mich.


CONTENT & COVERAGE
Three excellent coverage
components are presented
here: A hard news story about
Advanced Placement tests, a
local analysis of a national
trend and a local connection
to an international story.

El Estoque
Monta Vista HS
Cupertino, Calif.


CONTENT & COVERAGE
Rather than simply reporting a
bunch of national statistics in a
generic and unusable way, the
HiLite looks in the mirror and
poses the question to its
audience to advance the story
and bring a local perspective.
Asking whether your school
matches a national trend is a
great localizer.

HiLite
Carmel HS
Carmel, Ind.


CONTENT & COVERAGE
The important question
answered here is “how.” It’s
not news that the budget is
being cut, or maybe even the
amount being cut. Telling
readers how the cuts will
affect the campus? That’s
useful and relevant.

Stampede
Burges HS
El Paso, Texas


CONTENT & COVERAGE
Taking aim at a popular game
involving drinking alcohol, the
CSPress showcases the real
dangers behind the common
(and likely accepted) activity.
Agenda-setting is an
important function of the
student press.

CSPress
Cactus Shadows HS
Cave Creek, Ariz.


Rampages
Casa Roble HS
Orangevale, Calif.

CONTENT & COVERAGE
This is a clever idea executed in a new way. Look
at how many people are included!

Etruscan
Glenbrook South HS
Glenview, Ill.

CONTENT & COVERAGE
Traditional coverage gets a bonus with siders that
demonstrate excellent “layered content.”

WRITING & REPORTING
• Writing should be crisp. Reporting must be thorough.

• Copy should be clean and edited for consistent style.

• Look at NSPA Story of the Year winners for examples of
excellence:
http://www.studentpress.org/nspa/winners/story11.html


PRESENTATION:
LAYOUT & DESIGN
• The publication should have a clean and contemporary look.

• Visual hierarchy is established.


PRESENTATION
The Spartana’s traditional
layout is able to deliver the
reader an overview of
important news items in a
clear and organized way. Note
the multiple points of entry
and the logos that are
common. Small bits of text are
approachable.

The Spartana
Homestead HS
Fort Wayne, Ind.


PRESENTATION
In contrast, The Marshfield
Times presents a
contemporary look with an
attention-grabbing image, bold
headlines and a skinny rail on
the right. Note also the
discipline to color palette.

The Marshfield Times
Marshfield HS
Coos Bay, Ore.


Harbinger
Shawnee Mission
East HS
Prairie Village, Kan.

PRESENTATION
This inside spread breaks down a visual story into
visual components. Star ratings aid the reader.

Nugget
Cupertino HS
Cupertino, Calif.

PRESENTATION
Nothing wrong with a traditional layout with
dominant photo, secondary photos and sidebars.

Details
Whitney HS
Rocklin, Calif.

PRESENTATION
Tension results from similar-size photos. The
theme of “one moment” is reinforced.

PHOTOGRAPHY,
ART & GRAPHICS
• Visuals enhance the verbal content and draw in the reader.

• Quality of photos and art is technically excellent.


PHOTO, ART & GRAPHICS
The graphic does more to
convey the information to
readers than most of the
text. The asbestos problem is
clear, and readers need to
understand why school was
canceled. This graphic
communicates the message
almost instantly.

Echo
Saint Louis Park HS
Saint Louis Park, Minn.


A strong student illustrator is
an asset. This illo is so clear,
the text is almost redundant.
Any staff with a good
illustrator should give that
student free rein. Any staff
without a good illustrator
should go ﬁnd one.

The Eagle Angle
Allen HS
Allen, Texas


The illustration here is
necessary because using a ﬁle
photo of students dancing
might be cliché (or
unavailable). An illustration
allows the focus to be on the
concept, not the people in the
photo.

Verde
Palo Alto HS
Palo Alto, Calif.


The staff of H cleverly used
the app icons to indicate
stories within the pages of
that issue. Very clever and
captures the moment quite
well.

H
Horizon HS
Scottsdale, Ariz.


Another strong illustration
conveys the concept of
bullying. Note how the
editorial text doesn’t intrude
on the art or illustrative text.
The color palette for the
teaser boxes supports the
water colors in the art.

The Shield
McCallum HS
Austin, Texas


An iconic image is given a new
twist here. Even the use of
“search for a happier meal” in
the headline supports the
concept. The teaser box and
index don’t compete for
attention, either.

Fourcast
The Hockaday School
Dallas, Texas


Wings
Arrowhead
Christian Academy
Redlands, Calif.

PHOTOGRAPHY, ART & GRAPHICS
This fashion spread looks like a contemporary
catalog with sharp captions and graphics.

Triune
Trinity HS
Euless, Texas

Detail elements such as mugs, type and art add
energy to this spread.

PHOTOGRAPHY, ART & GRAPHICS Volsung
Downey HS
Downey, Calif.
A side-bound book showcases wide photos. Note
the special techniques, and the detail shots.


Muse
Northview HS
Johns Creek, Ga.

This magazine integrates the art with text and
graphics for a cohesive look.

REPORTING:
TYPE & DEPTH
• Major stories should show evidence of multiple sources.

• Series or in-depth pieces should be prominent.


REPORTING
A couple routine school news
items are sidebars to the main
package on athletes drinking
alcohol before practice. Only
so many items can be on Page
One, and they are balanced
well here.

Blue & Gold
Findlay HS
Findlay, Ohio


REPORTING
At Davis HS, students with
medical marijuana permits
can’t have the drug on
campus. The Hub staff puts
the dilemma squarely before
the readers in a story that
earned very high praise from
Pacemaker judges.

The Hub
Davis HS
Davis, Calif.


REPORTING
The Campanile staff not only
explains the budget excess
and how it might be dealt
with. Rather than one
comprehensive story, smaller
pieces each play a role in the
overall coverage.

The Campanile
Palo Alto HS
Palo Alto, Calif.


REPORTING
The most common story in
2010-11 was on
cyberbullying, a topic which
had the nation’s attention. The
better coverage went beyond
simply laying out a deﬁnition
and rehashing national media
reports to instead supply a
local connection and the
impact on that campus’
students.

The Trojan Bluestreak
Andover HS
Andover, Kan.


ReMarker
St. Mark’s School
of Texas
Dallas, Texas

The controversy around ADD medication is
explained here.

EDITORIAL LEADERSHIP
• Opinion pages should be alive with a variety of content: staff
editorials, cartoons, letters and personal columns.

• Content should be consequential.


In addition to the strong
coverage of the issue of
parenting, what stands out
here is the teaser for the staff
editorial — the thesis is
presented on Page One with
the full story teased inside.
That’s innovative and gives
prominence to the staff ’s
view.

The Standard
The American School in London
London, England


A pro-con piece is presented
well. In this case, the topic is
relevant and has two distinct
viewpoints. Consider adding a
section where each student
writer offers rebuttal to the
other’s argument.

The Southerner
Henry W. Grady HS
Atlanta, Ga.


2010 WINNER
The Falconer
Torrey Pines HS
San Diego, Calif.

A variety of art (cartoons and illustrations) as well
as mugs break up these pages of text.

2010 WINNER
The Stagg Line
A.A. Stagg HS
Stockton, Calif.

A praise editorial is a nice change of pace. Many
student voices are evident.

CONCEPT / THEME
• Concept uniﬁes coverage and content.

• Theme is relevant to current year or issue and provides
structure for storytelling.


CONCEPT/THEME
Take My Word
Fentonian
Fentons HS
Fenton, Mich.


Fentonian
Fenton HS
Fenton, Mich.

CONCEPT/THEME
Dialog balloons are repeated from cover. Word
play with “Taking care of business.”

CONCEPT/THEME
Really…
Log
Columbus North HS
Columbus, Ind.


Log
Columbus North HS
Columbus, Ind.

CONCEPT/THEME
“Really” is used here to reveal unknown aspects
about diversity among student body.

DESIGN OF THE YEAR
Finalists in Illustration, Infographic, Newspaper Page One
and Newspaper Page/Spread categories


ILLUSTRATION
Jason Cameron, Paris Gravely, Ben Damon
Redwood Bark
Redwood HS
Larkspur, Calif.


ILLUSTRATION
Oscar Carl
The Muse
Dreyfoos School of the Arts
West Palm Beach, Calif.


ILLUSTRATION
Rebecca Xu
HiLite
Carmel HS
Carmel, Ind.

ILLUSTRATION
Kelsey Bell
North Star
Francis Howell North HS
St. Charles, Mo.

ILLUSTRATION
Jamie Kaplan, Chris Bull
El Paisano
Westlake HS
Austin, Texas

INFOGRAPHIC
Carson Bailey
The Lion’s Tale
Oviedo HS
Oviedo, Fla.


INFOGRAPHIC
Mary McDermott
Play
Maize HS
Maize, Kan.


INFOGRAPHIC
Toni Aguilar
The Harbinger
Shawnee Mission East HS
Prairie Village, Kan.


INFOGRAPHIC
Brandon Morrison
The Mission
Shawnee Mission North HS
Overland Park, Kan.


INFOGRAPHIC
Nick Cruz
The Source
Stoney Creek HS
Rochester Hills, Mich.


NEWSPAPER PAGE ONE
Hwa Eun Kim
The Wildcat
Brea Olinda HS
Brea, Calif.


NEWSPAPER PAGE ONE
Ian Robertson
The Standard
American School in London
London, England


NEWSPAPER PAGE ONE
Leah Cramer
Blue & Gold
Findlay HS
Findlay, Ohio


NEWSPAPER PAGE ONE
Jake Crump
The Marshﬁeld Times
Marshﬁeld HS
Coos Bay, Ore.


NEWSPAPER PAGE ONE
Dean Itani
ReMarker
St. Mark’s School of Texas
Dallas, Texas


NEWSMAGAZINE
COVER
Arjuna Capulong
HiLite
Carmel HS
Carmel, Ind.


NEWSMAGAZINE
COVER
Elizabeth Lin, Jojo Silverman
West Side Story
Iowa City West HS
Iowa City, Iowa


NEWSMAGAZINE
COVER
Virginia Johnson
Crimson Record
duPont Manual HS
Louisville, Ky.


NEWSMAGAZINE
COVER
Liz McCubbrey, Kate O’Brien
Communicator
Community HS
Ann Arbor, Mich.


NEWSMAGAZINE
COVER
Alec Russell
The View
Park Hill South HS
Riverside, Mo.


NEWSPAPER
PAGE/SPREAD
Lillie Hidges, Sean Burke,
Julia Kent
The Fourth Estate
Laguna Blanca School
Santa Barbara, Calif.


NEWSPAPER PAGE/SPREAD
Allison Wang
Rubicon
St. Paul Academy and Summit School
St. Paul, Minn.


Jasmine Saein Park
Tiger Times
Seoul International School
Seoul, South Korea


Caroline Sydney
The Fourcast
Hockaday School
Dallas, Texas


Jenny Messer
Featherduster
Westlake HS
Austin, Texas


YEARBOOK PAGE/SPREAD
Kyle Carter, Emma Severson
Tesoro
Rio Americano HS
Sacramento HS


Roya Rakhshan
Leaves
Sherwood HS
Sandy Spring, Md.


Madeline Franz, Elise Kelly, Olivia Pocost
Iliad
Whitﬁeld School
St. Louis, Mo.


Kelsi Gunderson, Lamia Elliott, Katie Freeman
Legacy
Green Valley HS
Henderson, Nev.


Hayden Wolf
Marksmen
St. Mark’s School of Texas
Dallas, Texas


SOME WAYS TO IMPROVE
• Work on the content. Dig around your campus and
community for real stories. Don’t overplay or sensationalize.
Cover all aspects and all groups.

• Pay attention to photography and graphics.
These two areas help your publication stand out from others.
Think of the best way to tell a story for readers to read and
understand.


• Details make the difference. Typography, white space,
style — these are what set Pacemakers apart.

• Have a strong editorial voice. Make the editorial
pages a lively forum on substantive topics.


• Make every story polished. Write tight. Readers will
read long if it’s good. Put columnists on a word count diet.

• Take your own photos or use common works.
Find images to use under a Creative Commons license or
similar permission to use. Attribute correctly. WikiCommons
and Flickr both have free images.


• Consider the alternatives. Look to alternate story
forms in addition to the traditional story or copy block. Not
only will your content attract more readers, the stories that
need traditional treatment will stand out, too.

• Don’t just copy the leaders. They aren’t copying you.
They’re ﬁnding a new and innovative ways to present
information. They’re setting the pace.


WHAT’S NEXT?
The 2011 Pacemaker winners
will be announced Saturday afternoon.

Enter your student media in the 2012 contests.
Watch your email and our website for deadlines
and entry forms.


QUESTIONS?

Thanks!

E-mail: logan@studentpress.org
Online: slideshare.net/loganaimone


The NSPA Pacemaker, Fall 2011

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