Exeter, NH (January 16, 2008)—Phillips Exeter Academy’s student-run newspaper, The Exonian, has received a 2006–07 National Newspaper Pacemaker Award from the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA).

The Exonian was among 13 other high school papers that publish weekly and chosen in the 16 pages or fewer category. Initially, 384 entries competed in all categories for the top prize. The Pacemaker awards were selected by journalists and staff of The Philadelphia Inquirer during the National High School Journalism Convention, held last November. The awards were chosen on: coverage and content, quality of writing and reporting, leadership on the opinion page, evidence of in-depth reporting, design, photography, art and graphics.

The journalism prize is given once each school year and not each calendar year; subsequently, PEA students from both the 128th and the 129th editorial boards were named. The winners are:  

128th Board (2006)— Editors-in-Chief – Edward Casserley and Keone Hon; Director of Content – Liani Balasuriya; Director of Writing – Hillary Fitzgerald; News – Christopher Brennan and Kim Sommers; Arts and Features – Claire Abisalih and Dawn Hu; Op-Ed – Ryan Morgan and Phillip Brunner; In Depth – Boaz Chandrasekhar, Michaela Kleber and Dylan Leavitt; Sports – Louis Frank and Reid Fitzgerald; Humour Editor – Michael Schwerin; Head Copy Editor – Bram Strochlic; Photo Editor – Hannah Woodruff; and Head Photographer – Wesley Chen.

129th Board (2007)— Editor-in-Chief – Libbie Cohn; Managing Editor – Lauren Ayers; Director of Writing – Serena May; Business Chairman – Alyssa Murray; News – Kevin Donohoe and Aspen Reese; Op-Ed – Matthew Berardi and Gregory Rives; Exeter Life – Naomi Funabashi, Jun Youb Lee and Patricia Snell; Sports – Madison Gilmore and Joon-Suk Lee; Sports Content Editor – Alexandra Tilsley; Humour Editor – Sean Beckett; General Assignment – Anna Condella; Photography Editor – Zig Wronsky; Head Photographers – Nathaniel Shepard and Lukas Thoms. The paper’s adviser was history instructor Michael Golay.

NSPA and the Newspaper Association of America Foundation have co-sponsored the Pacemaker competition since 1971. NSPA began the awards in 1927.

A complete list of upcoming events is available on the Phillips Exeter Academy public events line at (603) 777-4309 and on our website at http://www.exeter.edu/. For directions, call (603) 777-4330.

Phillips Exeter Academy is a coeducational, independent preparatory school that was founded in 1781 and originated the system of instruction known as Harkness teaching in 1931. In the spirit of its charter to foster both goodness and knowledge, students come from a wide variety of geographic, economic, racial and religious backgrounds. The diverse student body comes from approximately 45 states, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands and 23 foreign countries.