The 2023-2024 edition of The Creek, Caney Creek High School’s yearbook, has been named a winner of the National Scholastic Press Association’s prestigious Pacemaker Award, the highest national honor for student journalism.
NSPA announced just 22 winners of its annual Pacemaker competition Saturday at the NSPA/JEA National Convention in Seattle, honoring the “best of the best” among more than 17,000 high school yearbooks produced nationwide each year. Only 50 Texas high schools and just three Conroe ISD schools have ever earned a Pacemaker Award.
“Awards don’t mean everything, but it is certainly an honor to be among the school publications that we have modeled many of our own practices after,” said Stephen Green, who advises both publications alongside Leigh Anne Treistman. “I’m more proud of these students than any words could possibly describe.
“It’s hard to overstate how difficult this competition is because you’re not only facing Texas schools, but the best of the best from around the country and some international schools. This is a testament to the drive and passion by the Caney Creek Student Media staff members who toil away behind the scenes.”
The NSPA Pacemaker is one of the oldest and most respected awards in scholastic journalism, dating back to 1921. In the yearbook competition, judges evaluate entries based on strong visual and verbal storytelling, excellence in design, coverage, writing, photography and overall concept.
“The Pacemaker is the association’s preeminent award,” NSPA Executive Director Laura Widmer said in a press release. “NSPA is honored to recognize the best of the best.”
Judging is done by two teams of three experts, who review and discuss each entry over several days. Winners are determined by consensus, not by a scoring rubric.
The Creek yearbook was selected for its innovative design, student-driven storytelling, and ability to capture the experiences of Caney Creek’s student body. Treistman notes that staff members dedicate hours and hours of time outside of school simply to make a better place for their peers.
“Staff members are the kind of journalists who will shoot for five hours, write for three, edit for an hour and then offer to help someone learning how to photograph a campus event for the first time,” she said. “They are scrappy, tenacious, and resourceful. When the whole world is complaining about poor work ethics, all I can think about is a group of high school kids up all night, producing meaningful stories and quality spreads.”
Dr. Terri Benson, principal at Caney Creek High School, pointed out that The Creek self-publishes, which means the staff prints directly through a printer and not a traditional yearbook company. For that, Benson said she is immensely proud of the staff for being acknowledged for its professionalism and dedication.
“Their creativity and hard work have truly captured the spirit and excellence of our school community,” she said. “This national recognition is a testament to their commitment in displaying the student experience at Caney Creek High School. This yearbook staff has set a high standard of excellence — and we are thankful for them.”
Click above to see a sample of the 2023-2024 yearbook
Reflecting on Work
Natalia Molina, the 2023-2024 executive editor and current journalism major at UT Austin, said she is beyond thrilled for the staff.
“This award displays all the hard work and effort that staff has poured into the production. It is truly well deserved in every aspect,” Molina said. “I cannot think of any other people worthy of this kind of recognition. With that, I’m excited to see what the new staff has planned for this year’s book. I can only guarantee it’ll be better than last year’s book.”
Liz Fierros and Angelica Palacios served as co-editors of the yearbook in the 2023-2024 school year. Palacios was relieved when she found out the book was first named a finalist.
“After we finished the book, I was like, ‘Is it going to get an award? Will it be at that award level?’” Palacios said. “I eventually forgot about it because I was focusing on college, but when my sister brought it up and told me about it I said ‘YES.’ We showed that we did well and that we are really good at what we do.”
Fierros said she is proud of the work that went into the book and is looking forward to seeing what comes next.
“I know, for me, I tried my best to make the book creative but thoughtful, so this achievement means a lot for me,” she said. “I’m thankful to have worked with such amazing and hard working people as those on staff. The book in itself shows who we are as a community and who we can be despite what we are seen as. I’m excited to see what else is in store for Student Media and beyond grateful to have been a part of it.”
Other Awards
The yearbook also received a Silver Star from UIL’s ILPC, All-American honors from NSPA, and First Class honors from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. The CCHSCompass.com news website also earned a Silver Crown Award from CSPA — another prestigious journalism award, and one of only four Gold Stars from ILPC.
As a staff, Student Media photographers were named No. 3 in the state for photojournalism and portrait photography, No. 2 in commercial photography, and the state champions in sports photography during the ATPI Top Program school portfolio contest. Overall, Caney Creek ranked fourth-best photography program in the state.
