Smoky Hill High School won the 2015 First Amendment Press Freedom award out of seven schools in the United States. According to Jea.org, schools who won will be awarded on April 16 of this year during the Spring National High School Journalism Convention in Denver, Colorado.

“We are proud of each of these schools for supporting their student media as they practice critical life skills like decision making, critical thinking and civic engagement while informing their audiences,” John Bowen, JEA Scholastic Press Rights Committee director said.

JEA (Journalism Education Association), National Scholastic Press Association and Quill and Scroll International Honorary Society stated the schools who won. All high schools, private and public schools are able to sign up.

This year Smoky Hill was one of the four school who won the award for the first time this year. The three other schools are Chantilly High School, St. Louis park High School and Whitney High School.

The award recognizes public and private high schools that actively support, teach and protect First Amendment rights and responsibilities of students and teachers, with an emphasis on student-run media where students make all final decisions of content.

“It makes me proud that our school gives us that freedom,” senior Brandy Holm said, “It’s gratifying to know that I won’t be censored and that I have all the students freedoms I am supposed to have, and that our school is now being recognized for it.”

First round applications are due annually by Dec. 15. Downloadable applications for 2016 will be available on the JEA website in the fall

Seven Schools Who won are:

• Chantilly (Va.) High School
• Francis Howell North High School, St. Charles, Mo.
• Kirkwood (Mo.) High School
• Mountlake Terrace (Wash.) High School
• Smoky Hill High School, Aurora, Colo.
• St. Louis Park (Minn.) High School
• Whitney High School, Rocklin, Calif.