For the third time since 2015 and the second year in a row, the National Scholastic Press Association named the Review as one of 49 finalists for the Pacemaker award. On Sept. 9, the Review was the only finalist in the Houston area out of the 220 student news publications from 33 states that entered.

According to NSPA, the finalists all took risks, served as a strong voice for their schools and demonstrated excellence in coverage, writing, editing, design and photography.

“The best newspapers and newsmagazines delivered relevant coverage that resonated with student readers and the school community with appropriate sourcing, abundant student quotes and consistent journalistic style,” said Gary Lundgren, associate director and coordinator of the competition. “The Pacemakers represent the best in verbal and visual storytelling.”

Iris Chen, one of last year’s Editors-in-Chief, commented on the quality of work that every contributor on the Review submitted.

“Being named a Pacemaker finalist is a testament to everyone’s hard work,” Chen said.

Last year’s Senior Design Editor Prithvi Krishnarao attributes the recognition to improving the graphics that accompanied high-quality writing in the November issue that focused on wellness.

“We were definitely a lot more experimental with our design,” Krishnarao said. “We branched out from what we were doing the past four years by trying to go in a bit of a different direction with a lot of the graphics, and our writing was stellar as usual.”

Also last year, Headmaster Mark Desjardins arranged to have each issue of the Review sent free of charge to every Upper School household.

“The level of sustained excellence from the Review continues to get better every year,” Desjardins said. “What’s particularly exciting to me is that about 10 percent of the student body is involved in some aspect of the Review, so it’s a great way to broadcast what’s happening at school.”

In November, the 19 winners of the Pacemaker award will be announced at the JEA/NSPA Fall National High School Journalism Convention in Washington, D.C, which will be attended by a dozen Review editors and advisers.

“I was honored to have been a part of such an amazing team of journalists,” said Sophie Caldwell, one of last year’s Editors-in-Chief. “I’m incredibly proud of the paper we were able to produce together.”