Mountlake Terrace named 2017 Press Freedom winner

Walsworth Yearbooks school Mountlake Terrace High School in Mountlake Terrace, Washington, was among the 11 schools named winners of the 2017 First Amendment Press Freedom Award by the Journalism Education Association (JEA) on Friday.

Each year, JEA’s Press Freedom Award recognizes public high schools that actively support, teach and protect First Amendment rights and responsibilities of students and teachers, emphasizing student-run publications.

Schools compete for the honor by answering a questionnaire submitted by an adviser and at least one editor. Once semi-finalists are chosen, responses from all of the school’s media advisers and editors are required, indicating their support for the First Amendment.

This is the second straight year Mountlake Terrace has been named a Press Freedom winner.

Winners are selected by a committee of representatives from JEA, the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) and the Quill and Scroll International Honor Society.

The 2017 winners include:

• The Archer School for Girls, Los Angeles, California
• Chantilly High School, Chantilly, Virginia
• Convent of the Sacred Heart High School, San Francisco, California
• Grosse Pointe North High School, Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan
• Francis Howell North High School, St. Charles, Missouri
• Harrisonburg High School, Harrisonburg, Virginia
• Kirkwood High School, Kirkwood, Missouri
• Mountlake Terrace High School, Mountlake Terrace, Washington
• Smoky Hill High School, Aurora, Colorado
• St. Louis Park High School, St. Louis Park, Minnesota
• Whitney High School, Rocklin, California

All 11 schools will be honored in April at the JEA/NSPA Spring National High School Journalism Convention in Seattle.