Silver Quill is one of 10 Pacemaker finalists

The 2004-2005 edition of Silver Quill, Blair's literary magazine, is one of 10 finalists for the National Scholastic Press Association's prestigious pacemaker award, according to the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) web site. The NSPA posted a list of the finalists on its web site.

This is the first time Silver Quill has applied for the Pacemaker, according to sponsor Valerie Josenhans. She is thrilled that the magazine is receiving this recognition. "I'm very excited about it… It's a real honor to be on the list [of finalists]," Josenhans said.

Josenhans is proud that the dedication of the Silver Quill staff has paid off. "Every year the kids work really hard. We put in tons of extra hours after school. It's nice that all that work is being acknowledged," she said.

Last year's magazine was also particularly deserving of credit because the staff did an exceptional job of purveying the theme of aperture throughout the issue, according to Josenhans.

Pacemaker winners are judged on the quality of writing and editing, design, content, concept, photography, art and graphics, according to the NSPA web site. Winners will be announced at the NSPA's high school journalism convention, which will be held April 20 through 23 in San Francisco.