Hall of Fame newspaper celebrated at Utica High School

The Utica High School student newspaper has been inducted into the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association’s Hall of Fame for reaching the highest level of publication excellence excellence over nearly ten years.

The Arrow, Utica’s High School’s student newspaper, has joined the school’s yearbook as a member of the MIPA Hall of Fame.

“Utica High School is a recognized leader in student publications and the Hall of Fame award is a fitting recognition for its long history of excellence,” Superintendent Dr. Christine Johns said. “The Arrow is a professional level publication and its students are developing important communication and problem solving skills that will open career doors for them well into their future.”

The MIPA student Media Hall of Fame was established in 2002 to recognize student publications with a long track record of quality.

“The Hall of Fame award shows we are a consistently excellent publication and I am really proud of all of the staffs over the years,” said senior Elizabeth Cetnar, the paper’s Editor in Chief. “I think we have a dedicated staff led by a great advisor (UHS teacher Stacy Smale). She is always pushing us, and I think that as a staff we always want to be the best we can by writing the stories that inform the student body.”

Newspapers are eligible for MIPA’s Hall of Fame if they have nine straight years of earning the group’s highest rating – the Spartan Award. Spartan Awards are granted by MIPA judges on every aspect of the publication, including layout, writing and editing.

“I’m really proud of kids because they try their hardest and are always looking to do new things,” Smale said. “They always want do better than they did the previous year.”

The Arrow traces its roots back to its first publication in the 1930s.

In addition to its history of state honors, the publication is also reguolarly honored at national levels through the Columbia Press Association’s annual publications awards. This year, the Arrow earned a Silver Crown, placing it among the best student publications in the nation.

For students, entry into the Hall of Fame caps a long legacy of success and allows them to push harder for future success.

“It is awesome to just say we are in the hall of fame - you kind of feel like a football player,” said junior Evan Grey, the paper’s Online Editor. “Everyone here works well together and loves what they do.”

The Utica High School yearbook – The Warrior – was a charter member of the MIPA Hall of Fame in 2002.

Source: Utica Community Schools

Dr. Christine Johns, Superintendent of Schools

Http://www.uticak12.og