The National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) has honored The Feather as one of 19 NSPA Online Pacemaker 2018 finalists, March 2. Winners will be named April 14 during the JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention in San Francisco.

Staffers compete in one of the two categories. The Feather competes in the 1500 school enrollment or less category and are most likely the smallest high school entered at 199 students enrolled. Fresno Christian is a private Christian school in NorCal and normally competes in CIF Central Section divisions V-VI in athletic programs. The Feather staff consists of 28 reporters, photographers and videographers.

According to the NSPA website, Gary Lundgren, associate director, who is responsible for running all contest and critique programs at NSPA, says the competition for the Pacemaker has intensified since the online newspapers have submitted their work in the beginning of January.

“In an exciting change in the process, the judging teams will now continue to visit the sites named as Pacemaker finalists on almost a daily basis,” Lundgren wrote in the studentpress.org/NSPA website. “The Pacemaker winners will be selected shortly before they are named on April 14, so for the 42 schools we are naming as finalists today, the competition is really just heating up.”

Third year staff member and current Editor-in-Chief Alexander Rurik, ’19, feels ecstatic about the nomination. 

“I honestly didn’t believe it when the advisers told us we were finalists,” Rurik said. “After the shaky critique we received from the NSPA, I thought for sure we were out of it. But I’m so excited to work hard the next six weeks to try and win another Pacemaker for The Feather. I’m so thankful for the great staff and advisers and hope they share my same ambition to win.”

While the NSPA sent emails to The Feather advisers announcing the Pacemaker nomination, they also tweeted congratulations later in the morning.

Congrats to 2018 Online Pacemaker finalist @thefeather from @fresnochristian! https://t.co/rf0lgZWrb7 pic.twitter.com/tuZek4qPVk

— NSPA (@NSPA) March 2, 2018

The Feather Online last earned a Pacemaker in 2016 and won the honor six times since 2006. The daily online paper has also earned seven Gold Crowns from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) since 2010 and is currently nominated for another CSPA High School Digital Crown in 2018 which will be announced March 16 in New York City. For a full listing of Feather achievements since 2005, check out The Feather Online Journalism Awards in the About Us section of the paper.

Congratulations to all 2018 NSPA Pacemaker finalists!

For more Feather photos, visit media, photos 2017-18.

This author can be reached via twitter @RivasCayla via email: Cayla Rivas.