After placing in the top five best online newspapers in the country in 2007, The Feather Online was crowned a Pacemaker at the 2008 National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) convention in Anaheim, CA.

This year, five schools were awarded the Pacemaker award during the ceremony, April 19. The Paly Voice Online, from Palo Alto High school, Palo Alto, CA, has received the national award five consecutive years (2004-2008) since adviser, Paul Kandell, not pictured, took over the Paly Voice in 2000.

Kandell, a conference speaker at the convention, believes it is necessary for sites to constantly update with relevant content. Kandell had praise for The Feather Online and its editors after the competition.

“I’ve praised your site as a model for several years now,” Kandell said. “I tell people they shouldn’t aim to do what the Voice does because we’re too big. You guys do your amazing work with a staff size that every school news publication in the country can relate to. You are the ultimate role model.”

“The key is the awareness that you need to convince your audience everyday to return,” Kandell said, “to be in a fight every day to convince them to make your page their home page.”

Kandell finds The Feather strengths in reporting, writing, graphics and color scheme.

“I don’t see weaknesses so much as challenges,” Kandell said. “With such a small school you have to work even harder to find, train and keep great staffers.”

For more information on The Feather’s Pacemaker award, visit the April 21 article, Feather pace garners national recognition, Missing staff writer? Editor excitement and Happy adviser.