The ODYSSEY Media Group Production class poses in front of the trophy case on Feb. 13. The OMG website was recognized by the National Scholastic Press Association as a Pacemaker finalist on March 12. “Initially, I was a little bit stunned by the news. I’d never heard of the OMG qualifying for an online Pacemaker, it wasn’t something I even thought about. However, I believe the recognition is thoroughly deserved,” Editor-in-Chief Wyatt Meyer said.” Photo by Jennifer Tesler.
The ODYSSEY Media Group was recognized as a Pacemaker finalist by the National Scholastic Press Association on March 12.
The National Scholastic Press Association named 34 websites as finalists for its prestigious Pacemaker competition on March 12 and for the first time since 2018, the ODYSSEY Media Group was one of them.
The Pacemaker was established by NSPA in 1927 and has since become one of its most prominent awards. Unlike many competitions that give awards based on a scoring rubric, the Pacemaker is based on how publications stand out amid their competitors.
“The online sites competed in two different categories based on school population. Two teams of three judges studied every entry, analyzing its strengths. The status of each entry was agreed upon by at least two of the three judges,” NSPA stated in its March 12 press release.
This isn’t the program’s first time being given the honor. Previously, the website has been named a Pacemaker finalist in 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2018, while the ODYSSEY Newsmagazine was recognized in 2009, 2011, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2023.
“Initially, I was a little bit stunned by the news. I’d never heard of the OMG qualifying for an online Pacemaker, it wasn’t something I even thought about. However, I believe the recognition is thoroughly deserved,” Editor-in-Chief Wyatt Meyer said. “In some ways, I feel as though we’ve punched above our weight with a smaller staff than many other publications, and it’s a testament to the individual effort of every staffer and the new Digital leadership team that we’ve won this award.”
“I’m grateful to these scholars for building on the foundation of their forebears.”
— David Ragsdale,
OMG adviser
Pacemaker winners will be announced at the JEA/NSPA Spring National High School Journalism Convention awards ceremony in Seattle, WA on April 26.
“This is a big deal, and I’m really excited about it,” News Editor Liza Larson said. “The staff has put in a lot of hard work this year and improved a lot in the content we’ve produced, and it’s rewarding to see that pay off.”
For OMG adviser David Ragsdale, the website being named a finalist after a long gap is recognition of how much work has gone into the website and its content.
“Under the leadership of Meyer and Digital Editor Lea D’Angelo, we’ve refined our process and been very intentional about rebuilding our online presence – from packaging, to storytelling to ensuring coverage of a wide variety of stories in our community, the staff has stepped up,” Ragsdale said. “I’m grateful to these scholars for building on the foundation of their forebears.”
