For the first time in school history, the Raider Rumbler was recently named a finalist for the National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker. NSPA selected 59 middle and high school newspapers from around the nation for the award.

“Considering this is the first time ever we’ve won, it is more than just exciting,” editor in chief Jordan Buie said. “I knew that all the tough topics we had covered was going to get us farther than any previous year had ever gotten.”

The national award is for the 2014-15 print editions and is given to papers that exemplify strong writing, design and coverage, and our trend setters in the high school journalism world. With only eight staffers, the Rumbler was the only LISD paper to have an online and print edition.

“We think it’s important to have a web presence, but we also love having a print paper,” adviser Kel Lemons said. “The staff feels strongly that the paper should be an integral part of the school community and they were strong advocates for stories they thought affected not just our students but the whole LISD community.”

The newspaper staff produced five print issues last year, including in-depth coverage on the financial aspects of new projectors and laptops for the district and the social and legal consequences of alcohol and sexting.

“It was a tough year and we struggled a lot,” 2014-15 co-editor in chief Kristin Nicol said. “Through the struggle we showed that we could touch on stuff that normally [wasn’t] touched on. We could write the big, fantastic stories that usually only big schools get to do.”

About half of the finalists will be named winners at the JEA/NSPA Fall National High School Journalism Convention in Orlando, Nov. 12-15. To see the entire list of finalists, click here.