Student-Run Palo Alto High Sports Magazine Honored

PALO ALTO, CA – Don’t be surprised if the next Frank Deford or Ann Killion comes out of Palo Alto High School.

The school launched the nation’s first student-run sports-only magazine during the 2007-2008 school year, and The Viking has been living up to the high standards its founders set ever since.

The publication on Wednesday was honored by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, which named The Viking a finalist in the high school-level hybrid general magazine category.

The CSPA will announce the winner in March. The publication is assured of winning a silver or a gold crown.

The Viking covers all 23 Palo Alto High varsity sports teams and deeper issues surrounding high school athletics. It publishes a 64-page print edition six times along with its extensive online coverage.

The Viking launched its own website in 2011 and posts articles, game stories and multimedia content.

The student journalists also maintain an active social media presence, tracking scores of all of the school’s varsity teams on its Twitter feed.

The CSPA is a New York-based international student press association that was founded in 1925.

Its stated goal is to “unite student journalists and faculty advisers at schools and colleges through educational conferences, idea exchanges, textbooks, critiques and award programs.”