Deadlines, interviews, late nights, and countless revisions, these are the realities behind every page of a school publication. While readers see the finished newspaper or yearbook, what they often do not see is the determination, teamwork, and pride poured into every story, photo, and design. This year, that dedication paid off in a big way, as both the newspaper and yearbook were recognized as All-Missouri, one of the highest honors a student publication can receive.

   For the staff members behind the scenes, the awards represent more than recognition, they reflect months of hard work, commitment, and passion for telling the stories of their school community.

   For many students, attending the Missouri Interscholastic Journalism Association (MIJA) J-Day was an exciting opportunity to grow as journalists and explore future goals. Sophomore staff member Alyssa Boyd shared that the experience helped her look ahead to her future.

   “My favorite part of J-Day was getting to tour the campus because my goal for college is to get into Mizzou and head towards the nursing degree,” she said.

   Her experience shows how journalism events can inspire students to think about careers beyond high school.

   Others appreciated the chance to learn and connect with fellow journalists. Senior news staff Editor-In-Chief Tanna Howe reflected on the educational value of the event.

   “My favorite part about J-Day is being able to learn so much in sessions and enjoy time with my classmates and other journalists,” she said.

   Experiences like these help strengthen teamwork and creativity, essential qualities for producing successful publications.

   Yearbook Editor-In-Chief Jenna Gerken also enjoyed exploring future possibilities during the event.

   “I liked getting to hang out with my friends and seeing the different career paths that Mizzou offers,” she said.

   While J-Day is a memorable experience, the real work begins long before awards are announced. Creating each issue of the newspaper or yearbook requires consistent effort and determination. Students must balance school work, extracurricular activities, and personal responsibilities while still meeting strict deadlines. Boyd described the challenge of staying on schedule.

    “It takes a lot of time and effort to make a deadline and it takes determination and wanting to complete it to make a deadline,” she said.

   Howe emphasized that much of the work happens behind the scenes.

   “It takes a lot of dedicated and motivated time and effort to create publications. A lot of people don’t see all the hard work behind the scenes of the newspaper,” she said.

   Gerken agreed, highlighting the preparation that goes into each page.

   “A lot! We have deadlines every month, and most pages we are designing from scratch, and then a lot of research goes into creating the body copy on every page,” she said.

   Beyond the workload, publications play an important role in bringing the school community together. They capture memories, share student voices, and document the events that shape the school year. Howe explained the significance of student journalism.

   “I think our publications are important to the community because it gives students a voice in a way. We get to create our own content, news, spotlights, and features to show the life inside of WHS,” she said.

   Gerken also reflected on the lasting impact of these publications.

   “Yearbooks show the good and the bad things that happen over the course of the year, and many important moments have been captured forever through a page in the yearbook,” she said.

   Producing these publications requires dedication. Staff members often spend hours outside of class attending events, conducting interviews, and editing content. Howe described the responsibilities that come with leadership roles.

   “Yes, it takes a lot of outside time to get your work done. Along with that, as an editor comes with many other duties to fill and finish,” she said.

   “Definitely. You have to want to do it, and you can’t just coast through the class doing the bare minimum. Late nights, social events, sports games, deadline parties and photo assignments are all parts of publication that you have to do,” Gerken said.

  Despite the challenges, staff members take pride in the work they create. Boyd shared her excitement about a particular achievement.

   “The story I am most proud of this year is my football story and my favorite spread so far this year is also my spread about football because it got All-Missouri,” she said.

  Similarly, Howe reflected on the impact of one of her editorials.

   “The thing that I have produced that I’m most proud of is probably one of my editorials, based on the message of ‘Don’t sleep through the last chapter.’ I love having a voice and trying to get to a certain audience. As a senior, I found it very important to get other seniors to soak it all in because we truly will never get these times back around all of these people,” she said.

   Gerken also expressed pride in a collaborative project.

   “Probably the spirit page I created with Ila, where we explored the Wildcat as a mascot and how Wally got his name. Honestly, I’m really proud of everything the staff has produced this year!” she said.

   Behind every successful publication is strong leadership and guidance. Adviser Amanda Adler plays a key role in supporting students and helping them grow as writers, photographers, and designers. She described the effort required to produce each issue.

   “The yearbook, newspaper and website takes a lot of time and effort. My students can’t just show up for an hour, but they must set up interviews, take photos, and create designs, and often, that requires time outside of the scheduled class. They also have the stress of operating under a deadline,” she said.

   This year’s recognition as an All-Missouri publication is a moment of pride for the entire staff. It represents not only talent, but perseverance and teamwork. Howe reflected on the achievement.

   “Having the newspaper selected as All-Missouri overall for the second year in a row is a huge accomplishment. It means a lot, and shows everyone just how much work we truly all do put into every issue that we publish each month,” she said.

   Gerken described the moment as a reward for months of dedication.

   “It was awesome, all of our hard work and everything we stressed about came together to create an amazing publication, and I’m super proud of everyone!” she said.

   For Adler, the recognition is both an honor and motivation to keep improving.

   “All-Missouri means that we are producing excellent publications. Being competitive pushes us to keep trying new ideas and to dig deeper,” she said.