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Pepper Box Student Newspaper Earns International Journalism Honors

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The Pepper Box continues its long tradition of award-winning student journalism with a Quill & Scroll 2026 International Second Place Award for issues produced during the 2025-2026 school year.  

Returning 2025-2026 Ritenour High School student journalists who helped produce the award-winning issues of the student newspaper will be key decision-makers this school year as editors: 

  • Production Editor-in-Chief Adriana Montoya, Visual Editor-in-Chief Elijah Powers, Content Editor-in-Chief Aryana Wilson, Special Edition Editor Naleia Hall, Art Editor Aaliyah Hayman; Online Editor Lamonica Larry, Social Media Manager Emily Williams, Photography Editor Madelyn Jacobsmeyer. 
  • Section editors are: Arts & Entertainment Editor Kendall Robertson, News Editor Sabrina McNabb, Sports Editor Katrina Kesselring; Opinion Editor Laqirra Colvin. 
  • Other returning staff members: Violet (Andy) Fisher, Angel Aguilar and Kiante Ball
Award-winning PepperBox students pose with newspapers in hand

The Quill & Scroll International Second Place Award recognizes excellence in scholastic journalism and places the Pepper Box among the top student newspapers worldwide. 

Professional journalists judge Quill and Scroll entries in key areas of scholastic journalism, including coverage, writing and editing, visuals, policy guidelines and business practices. In addition to recognizing outstanding work, the evaluation process provides student journalists with detailed feedback and recommendations they can use to strengthen their reporting, writing, editing, photography, design and overall publication. 

Quill and Scroll judges provide critiques that student journalists can use to understand how their publications excelled and opportunities for improvement for future issues.  

Since its first issue in 1923, the Pepper Box has had a strong tradition of student journalism at Ritenour. Over the decades, the newspaper has received both state and national honors. In recent years, the Pepper Box has won a Quill & Scroll international first- or second-place award seven times, several top awards from School Newspapers Online (a national organization), and dozens of top awards from the prestigious Missouri Interscholastic Journalism Association (MIJA).