CENTENNIAL RECOGNITION

Celebrating the top student publications as well as advisers and educators during the past century.

12 INTRODUCTION

Laura Widmer, NSPA/ACP executive director, reflects on a century of service.

13 THE ACP PIONEER AWARDS

Presented to 101 advisers and educators at a special recognition breakfast at The National Press Club during the 2022 Washington, D.C. convention.

15 THE NSPA PACEMAKER 100

Presented at a special ceremony at the 2022 St. Louis, Missouri, convention and designating the most Pacemakers in the past century.

18 THE ACP PACEMAKER 100

Presented at a reception at The Washington Post during the 2022 Washington, D.C. convention and designating the most Pacemakers in the past century.

Dear

FRIENDS, NSPA and ACP have empowered student journalists for 100+ years.

On a personal note, I attended my first college convention in 1977 in New Orleans. In 1982 I took students from Clinton (Missouri) High School to the fall National High School Journalism Convention in Kansas City. As student publications director at Northwest Missouri State University, I brought students to the ACP/CMA fall convention for 28 years, starting with Chicago in 1982.

Both organizations have provided the services and resources to enable student media programs achieve success. Whether it’s showcasing our past winners, providing Pacemaker Master Classes, Town Halls or hosting training workshops, our goal has always been to give students and advisers the tools needed for a great publication.

One of our primary tools to help newsrooms improve is through our critique service. It is safe to say that millions of critiques have passed through our offices over the years. These critiques educate staffs about the standards of good journalism. If a staff excels, they will be awarded an AllAmerican status by a judge. This rating is a great achievement, but even if it isn’t awarded, the publication and its staff are still winners because they will benefit from the evaluator’s comments.

NSPA partners with Journalism Education Association to present a fall and spring National High School Journalism Convention. ACP partners with College Media Association in the fall to co-host the National College Media Convention. In the spring, ACP hosts its Spring National College Media Conference in California.

These conventions are some of the best benefits we provide our members. It’s an opportunity to not only learn from experts, but to learn from each other. What a great experience for staffs to explore a city together. It’s a great way to learn from each other and share experiences that will become life-long memories. There’s no better bonding experience than to explore a city

LAURA WIDMER Executive Director

together laughing and having fun because in the end the staff will gel and become a team.

NSPA and ACP love to recognize our national award winners. Whether it’s the Individual Awards, Pacemaker, Hall of Fame, and now, the Pacemaker 100, these prestigious programs are simply the best in student media. In Washington, D.C., ACP recognized our 101 Pioneer recipients. This was the first time ACP awarded advisers and educators such an elite honor. In spring 2022, ACP and NSPA will introduce our next tier of Hall of Fame recognition, the Platinum Level.

Throughout our scholastic press association journey, partnerships made us stronger.

We’re not in this alone. Our strength comes from our members and from the collaborative relationships we have developed with JEA, CMA, Journalism Educators of Minnesota and Quill and Scroll. When one prospers, we all benefit, and student journalism is the winner. We also acknowledge the time and support of our judges, sponsors and exhibitors. Our success is tied to your contributions. We are stronger together.

To me, so many things related to scholastic media have to do with friendships. Those friendships tend to form and evolve at national conventions. Conventions are more like nonstressful family reunions. Your hugs are heartfelt. Your “let’s find time to catch up” line is sincere. When you ask for help, your journalism friends always say, “What can I do?” You can talk about anything and laugh at almost everything. It’s those colleagues who make us a better adviser, teacher and journalist. They have become lifelong friends. Thank you for your friendship.

As the oldest national student press association in the country, you can rest assured we will be there to teach you, provide resources for you, recognize your good work and celebrate you. We will continue to empower you to lift up your voices to be heard as you seek and report truth and as you tell the stories of the next 100 years. n