'The Geisler Chronicles' named Most Outstanding Middle School Newspaper

The James R. Geisler Middle School student newspaper, The Geisler Chronicles, received national recognition by the American Scholastic Press Association (ASPA) as one of the top middle school newspapers in the country.

The Geisler Chronicles was named the ASPA’s 2022-23 Most Outstanding Middle School Newspaper and was one of two schools to earn first place in the intermediate school category for schools with an enrollment of 500 to 1,000 students.

“I am very honored to have our school newspaper nationally recognized!” said The Geisler Chronicles co-advisor Torry Yu. “We have a very large group of budding journalists and writers who enjoy contributing to our monthly issues as they explore different aspects to creating a newspaper; writing, editing, design, interviewing, drawing, researching, meeting deadlines, and just working as a team to create a great publication.”

The Geisler Chronicles was created during the 2018-19 school year and currently has 57 students contributing articles about what is happening at James R. Geisler Middle School. The monthly edition includes school news, world and national items, sports, short stories, and reviews.

“I am very proud that these students are able to report on topics of interest to them and share it with our Wolf Pack community and be nationally recognized for that,” said Yu. “Our newspaper is not a class, so these students are contributing to The Geisler Chronicles on their own time, on top of their regular schoolwork and other extra-curricular activities they may be involved in.”

Yu and, fellow co-advisor, Linda Bacon also received a Foundation For Excellence mini grant for the second-straight year, which will allow them to professionally print the final issue of The Geisler Chronicles for the 2022-23 school year.