The Southerner staff learned on Feb. 4 that it had received an ALL-SOUTHERN rating—the highest possible evaluation rating—from the Southern Interscholastic Press Association (at the University of South Carolina).

The award marks the first staff award for the current publication year. In order to be evaluated, the staff submitted the first two editions from the fall 2014 semester. The staff earned the highest possible marks in six of the seven categories evaluated: reader services, editing, news, opinion, features and sports.

“Your publication has a strong foundation in and understanding of journalistic standards in writing, reporting and visuals,” the SIPA evaluator wrote in her summary comments. “Continue the excellent reporting and writing—these are clearly the strengths of your paper.”

The staff hopes to repeat its good fortune when the state scholastic journalism awards are announced at the Georgia Scholastic Press Association Awards Ceremony on Friday April 3 at The University of Georgia.

March will also be a big month for the staff as its awaits the announcement of SIPA’s individual entry awards on March 1, plus the Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s announcement of Gold Crown winners. The Southerner and Nexus are both 2015 Crown Award finalists and will find out on March 20 if they won Gold or Silver when CSPA makes the news official at the CSPA convention in New York.