Awards and Honors

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Students who are part of the FHN Media have earned hundreds of individual honors at the local, state and national levels. In addition to earning individual awards for their work, students can earn a Publications Letter (similar in look to the athletic letters given out at school) and students are also eligible to be inducted into Quill and Scroll, the International Honor Society for High School Journalists.

Highlighting the individual awards are the following:

National High School Journalist of the Year

2020 – Emily Hood (National Winner)

2017 – Jacob Lintner (National Runner-Up)

2015- Daniel Bodden (National Runner Up)

2012 – Kelsey Bell (National Winner)

Missouri High School Journalist of the Year
2020 – Emily Hood
2017- Jacob Lintner
2015- Daniel Bodden
2012 – Kelsey Bell
2006 – Danielle Karstens
2003 – Kalen Ponche
1996 – Nora Radley
1992 – Audrey Reed

Missouri All-State Journalism Team Members
2024 – Lauren Harmon
2024 – Chase Pray
2022 – Kyle Button
2022- Amber Winkler
2021 – Emily Zhang
2020 – Thomas Jamison
2019 – Reide Pearson
2018 – Guadalupe Medina
2017 – Chase Meyer
2016 – Shannon Atkinson
2015 – Ashleigh Jenkins

Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards
2017 – Sarah Zimmerman
2016 – Anthony Kristensen
2015 – Anthony Kristensen
2013 – Alexis Christo
2009 – Ryan Firle
2008 – DJ Shewmaker

Al Neuharth Free Spirit Award

2022- Amber Winkler
2021 – Bree Ammons
2019 – Emily Hood
2014 – Daniel Bodden
2013 – Sophie Gordon
2009 – Nathan Bryant

Ryan White Excellence in Journalism Award
First Place Double Truck Category – 2008, 2009, 2010

Missouri High School Journalism Administrator of the Year
2024 – Jeff Fletcher, principal
2007 – Dr. Darlene Jones, principal
1991 – Dr. Larry Humphries, principal

As staffs, the FHN Media have a strong track-record as well. Among their honors:

National Scholastic Press Association
Hall of Fame
North Star – 2013, 2023
FHNtoday.com – 2023

All-American
North Star – 1995, 1998, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
Excalibur – 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015
FHNtoday.com – 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023

Pacemaker Award
FHNtoday.com – 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023
Excalibur – 2013, 2014, 2015
North Star – 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2024
FHNtodayTV – 2014, 2015
Innovation – 2022, 2023

Pacemaker Finalists
North Star – 1998, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
Excalibur – 2007, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2021
FHNtoday.com – 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Digital Yearbook – 2010
FHNtodayTV – 2014, 2015, 2023
Innovation – 2022, 2023, 2024

JEA/NSPA National Convention Best of Show Placings [bold years designate First Place Best of Show honors at the convention]

North Star (newsmagazines) – Fall 2004, Fall 2005, Spring 2006, Fall 2006, Fall 2007, Spring 2008, Fall 2008, Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Fall 2015, Spring 2017, Spring 2018. Fall 2018, Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024
Excalibur (275-324 pages) – Fall 2006, Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Fall 2013, Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2021, Spring 2023
FHNtoday.com (open/small/large) – Fall 2008, Spring 2008, Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Fall 2017, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024
FHNtodayTV (broadcast) – Fall 2004, Fall 206, Fall 2007, Spring 2008, Spring 2009, Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Spring 2023, Spring 2024
FHNtoday Podcast – Fall 2020

Quill and Scroll
Gallup Award
North Star – 1994, 1997, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

Journalism Education Association
First Amendment Press Freedom Award
Francis Howell North High School – 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2024

Cornerstone Award
Francis Howell North High School – 2011

Missouri Interscholastic Press Association
All-Missouri North Star – 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2023, 2024
Excalibur – 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010
FHNtoday.com – 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2022, 2023, 2024
FHNtodayTV – 2024

Columbia Scholastic Press Association
Gold Crown Award Winner North Star – 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Gold Crown Award Winner FHNtoday.com – 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Silver Crown Award Winner Excalibur – 1995, 2008, 2012, 2013
Sliver Crown Award Winner North Star – 1996, 2009, 2012
Silver Crown Award Winner FHNtoday.com – 2010

School Newspapers Online
Distinguished Site Honor FHNtoday.com – 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

Aaron Manfull and Jordyn Kiel oversee the Media program at FHN.

Aaron Manfull has been one of the media advisers at Francis Howell North High School since 2001. Here are a few things about him:

He is a former Dow Jones News Fund National High School Journalism Teacher of the Year.
He directs the Media Now digital media summer journalism workshops and student and adviser training courses.
He is the Journalism Education Digital Media Committee Chair, heading the website JEADigitalMedia.org.
He was inducted into the Francis Howell School District Howell of Fame in 2011.
The National Scholastic Press Association named him a Pioneer Award winner in 2010
The Poynter Institute named him one of “35 Influential People in Social Media.”
He earned his MJE (Master Journalism Educator) through the Journalism Education Association and is a National Board Certified Teacher.

Jordyn Kiel has been one of the media advisers at Francis Howell North High School since 2015. Here are a few things about her:

She attended the Reynolds High School Journalism Institute at Kent State University in 2015.
She was named a Journalism Education Association Rising Star in 2017.
She has instructed at the Media Now digital media summer journalism workshop at Webster University and Drake University.
She earned her CJE (Certified Journalism Educator) and MJE (Master Journalism Educator) through the Journalism Education Association.
She serves on the Journalism Education Association’s Scholastic Journalism Week Committee