Lincoln Public Schools students received positive recognition this fall for producing premier-level words, photos and graphics in their newspapers and yearbooks.

Southeast High School and Southwest High School journalists earned prestigious Cornhusker Awards at the Nebraska High School Press Association (NHSPA) Fall Convention. Staff members of Southeast’s newspaper and Southwest’s yearbook claimed the award for their work during the 2024-25 school year. Students, advisors and professional journalists from across the state applauded their efforts at the annual conference.

NHSPA Executive Director Leslie Klein said the Knights and Silver Hawks could feel good about their state-level accomplishments. The Cornhusker Award is the top honor that high school newspaper, yearbook, broadcast and digital media newsrooms can receive each year in Nebraska.

“It is important to recognize quality journalism with awards like the Cornhuskers,” Klein said. “Awards have the power to legitimize programs by highlighting the good work being done in journalism classrooms while also affirming and empowering young reporters to continue engaging with journalism.”

Members of Southwest’s yearbook The Talon earned the award for the sixth time in the past seven years. Judges felt the Silver Hawks produced a high-quality publication that featured a wide variety of photos and stories. Staff members created a main theme for the yearbook, collected content for each page and spent hundreds of hours arranging information for readers to enjoy.

First-year advisor Delani Young said she was proud to watch the Silver Hawks win their fourth straight Cornhusker. Eleven students beamed as they posed with the wooden trophy at the state convention.

“It is encouraging for students to have earned a Cornhusker Award because it shows how impactful their hard work is on the quality of their product,” Young said. “The yearbook is a huge project that holds a lot of significance for their peers, so being recognized for excellence in this project is inspirational for years to come.”

Journalism and Yearbook are two offerings provided within our secondary English Language Arts curriculum.

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