The Willis Hall Herald, North Cross’ student produced newspaper, was awarded Gold Medal status by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA). As members of the CSPA, schools’ student newspapers are independently reviewed and results delivered in the annual Critique.
“This paper is impressive for many reasons. For such a small staff… this product is very well done.” The review continued, “The stories are interesting and always student-focused. The diverse student body is well-represented and offers a wealth of future story possibilities. It is clear that students have been taught how to interview and how to weave good quotes into the stories to really “tell the story.” It is also abundantly clear that good editing skills are at work here because very few typical high school newspapers have copy this clean. Your paper could easily rival community papers!”
Robert Robillard, the Herald’s advisor, was very proud of their accomplishment and remarked, “The staff worked hard this year and their 200 point score improvement was achieved because of their spirit and dedication. Congratulations to our current staff members—Kirby Evett, Paxton Helmer, Hannah Schwenk, Meagan Pruitt, Dre Colston, Morgan Sturm, Maura Taaffe, Yasmin Tejani, Shamani Jackson, Dulany Fralin, and Tanner Smith; as well as last year’s staff members-Jimmy Coles, Matt Doughty, Bennett Holley, Madison Altice, Alex Bullington, and Jayson Lamanca. Each of these students are not only a huge part of the Herald’s success, but have also done well in their academic, athletic, and artistic pursuits. It’s great to see them receive this well-respected award for their exceptional co-curricular participation.”
Dr. Christian Proctor, headmaster of North Cross School, echoed Robillard’s sentiments. “A great student-led publication is another sign of a great school, and their product is worthy of such a prestigious award. With such a small staff and their self-imposed aggressive deadlines, they have to make sure each paper is interesting, eye-catching, and properly edited. I’m proud of the work they do and how well they and their work represent North Cross.”
