The 2021 JagWire newspaper was named a Pacemaker Award winner by the National Scholastic Press Association Saturday, Nov. 13. The Pacemaker is the highest honor in high school journalism. This year, 24 newspapers from around the country earned the distinction, including five from Johnson County, from a pool of 62 finalists named in September.

https://studentpress.org/nspa/2021-pacemaker-awards-in-newspaper-newsmagazine-and-specialty-magazine/

This is the JagWire’s fourth NSPA Pacemaker award in seven years. The paper was also a Pacemaker finalist in 2020.

The 2021 editors were graduates Hannah Chern, Tatum Elliott and Tanner Smith. Graduates Steven Curto, Anna Owsley and Ben Wieland also contributed heavily to the honor.

Among the other honors earned by the 2021 graduating class in newspaper and yearbook were:

2021 NSPA Pacemaker Award-newspaper

2021 NSPA Pacemaker Finalist Award-online news website

2021 KSPA 5A/6A state journalism title

2021 KSPA All-Kansas Award for newspaper, website, and yearbook

Current JagWire newspaper members and seniors Quinn Franken and Hayden Resch and juniors Maddy Welch, Gabby Delpleash and Avery Gathright were also members of the 2021 newspaper staff.