Smoky Hill High School’s Publication won the First Amendment Press Freedom Award for the second year in a row.

According to www.jea.org, the First Amendment Press Freedom Award recognizes public high schools that actively support, teach and protect First Amendment rights and responsibilities of students and teachers, with an emphasis of student-run media.

Schools compete for the award by answering questions that are submitted by the adviser and at least one of the editors of each publication in the school. The schools that are then accepted move on to the next level and are asked to provide responses from the principal, all media advisers and editors, showing their support of the First Amendment. The publications must also submit a printed out copy of their policies.

“Well, I wanted to try to win the award because I believe that we are really lucky to have such an understanding and pro-First-Amendment school,” senior editor-and-chief Rachel Ellis said. “Because of that, I wanted to celebrate it and give our community the credit that it deserves.”

In all, 11 schools won the award: The Archer School for Girls, Convent of the Sacred Heart High School, Felix Varela High School, Harrisonburg High School, Kirkwood High School, Mountlake Terrace High School, Smoky Hill High School, St. Louis Park High School, and Whitney High School and only one in Colorado.

Two school publications are receiving the award for the first time this year: The Archer School for Girls, which is one of three private schools to be recognized, and Harrisonburg High School.

“I was very excited to hear the school won. This is our second year winning and I’m proud to be a part of this streak of ours,” Ellis said.

All of the winning schools will be honored April 14 at the opening ceremony of the JEA/NSPA Spring National High School Journalism Convention in Los Angeles.

Applications for the 2017 Freedom Press Award will be available on the JEA website this fall.