The National Scholastic Press Association, also known as the NSPA, awarded Torch several honors for its 2024-2025 edition of the paper.
Torch earned fifth place for its “Teen Budgeting” center spread and an honorable mention for its “Behind the Headlines” center spread, both in the Design of the Year Newspaper Spread category.
The paper was also recognized as an All-American newspaper, the highest recognition given by the NSPA’s critique service.
The “Teen Budgeting” center spread was designed by Kaitlyn Lu, 2024-2025 Executive Features Editor, seniors Rafaella Kolesnik and Mali Nangia, junior Lucy de Leon and alumna Marisa Chi (‘25).
The “Behind the Headlines” center spread was designed by Lu, Kolesnik and senior Jaiden Han.
“These [center spreads] were all labors of love,” said 2024-2025 Editor-in-Chief Alex Gerstein. “You could tell that they came out of people who cared and wanted to do the best work they possibly could, not just because that was what was expected of them, but because that was what they themselves were driven to do.”
Torch has had seven pieces named national finalists in the Individual Awards competitions in the past four years.
“Our Torch program, over the years, has continued to get better and better, and there’s been recognitions along the way,” said Dr. Michael Tarjan, assistant principal of student activities. “It seems like there’s a steady flow of recognitions, whether it’s [placing fifth in design of the year] or in something else. We seem to be continuously getting recognized for the great work our students are doing.”
According to 2024-2025 Managing Editor Sunehri Patel, Torch’s collaboration comes from people leaning on each other to persevere.
“I think seeing the staff and their commitment towards making Torch excellent, even though they may have a rough article or rough page, whatever it may be, that’s really what drives Torch to be as excellent as it is,” Patel said.
According to Lu, Individual Awards are center spreads that grab readers’ attention while conveying informational ideas and narratives.
“We’re trying to bring people’s stories to life,” said Lu. “That’s where the collaboration comes in, because when we have a set goal, we know how to work towards it.”