The words of two local student journalists have not only been read by their peers, but also reached worldwide acclaim.
Students in Texas High School's Publications Department took the viral story of a Texarkana teen accused of killing a student at the University of Texas in Austin and localized it immediately.
Seniors Jessica Emerson and Raga Justin went to the family of 17-year-old Meechaiel Criner the day after an article from the Tiger Times surfaced in national media, a feature Raga had written about him in December 2014.
Texarkana Independent School District could not confirm Criner attended Texas High, nor would they authorize use of the article, since they owned the rights to it. Yet many news organizations chose to include the it in their reporting, and Raga's work was seen worldwide.
The student journalists were not bound by the same laws as the district and pursued the local angle.
"There was much discussion as all this was going on, because Jessica and Raga went and visited with the Criner family," TISD spokeswoman Tina Veal-Gooch said. "They really took the initiative to make sure that the Student Press Law Center gave them the true picture-that where I'm bound by FERPA, they are not, as they're citing source."
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act prevented the district from confirming Criner's status as a student at Texas High to the multiple news agencies calling for that information.
Jessica said when the initial story broke, she texted both her advisers, Rebecca Potter and Clint Smith, and told them she had dibs on that story.
"So that day, we went to their house, and they didn't want to talk to us at first," Jessica said. "We left them the article. We said, 'If you want to talk to us after reading this article, feel free.'"
The family called 10 minutes later.
Mary Wadley told the student journalists she had never seen Raga's story. In it, Criner detailed the bullying and abuse he experienced at the hands of those he lived with while in the foster care system and on the playgrounds of his elementary school.
He is being held in the Travis County jail for allegedly killing Haruka Weiser, an 18-year-old freshman at UT. His bail is $1 million.
Of her experience with writing this real-world story, Jessica said, "It was a cool experience, because it wasn't high school journalism," she said. "Well, it was, but it wasn't, because it was out of the realm."
Although the article didn't run until the following week, that drive and spot-on journalistic instinct to "get the story" has won the department multiple awards at the state and national levels.
Jessica is co-editor-in-chief of the online edition of the Tiger Times. It and the print version were two of only five student-produced newspapers in the state to receive a gold star from the Interscholastic League Press. The Tiger yearbook also won top awards, as it was one of 13 silver stars awarded during the organization's convention held in mid-April. Multiple individual awards were given to the 100-plus staff members, as well.
The newspapers also won a gold crown, one of the top student journalism awards in the country, for the fourth year in a row from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. The yearbook won the American Hall of Fame award from the National Scholastic Press Association. In commercial photography, three students took the top five out of 51 awards given in the Josten's photo contest. That contest had 5,000 entries.
Tyler Snell, co-editor in chief of the Tiger Times print edition, said he's happy seeing those late nights of perfecting his paper paying off.
"It's nice seeing all that work is being recognized as a good quality paper and journalism," he said.
Anna Graves, who shares the title of co-editor-in-chief of print with Tyler, said she thinks students in publications have an advantage others don't.
"I think they have a leg up in school, especially in English classes," she said. "It's the kids in publications that are speaking out, and they know the answers, and they're getting the grades. I feel like it benefits you in so many ways."
Potter, who not only advises Publications, but also teaches journalism at Texas High, said her students are successful because she establishes a high standard of quality early on.
"Honestly, they carry it on," she said. "If you have a climate or classroom environment that fosters leadership and allows them to direct their own growth, they are (invested in it). They set the bar high. It's not just me. They come in and say, 'Hey, this is what we want to do,' and I get out of their way, and they do it."
Smith, who serves as photography and online media adviser, said his students' work is authentic, and having that key ingredient makes them the best of the best.
"When it's authentic, it makes it a lot more tangible to the students," he said. "They see and they feel it, as opposed to being in a class where everybody works on that same assignment every day."
He added that the students don't look outside the walls of Texas High for competition, but find it within.
"We don't really compete with other schools," he said. "We win awards, but I always try to make sure they're competing with themselves. I tell my kids, 'You're only as good as your last story, and you're only as good as your last photograph. You're only as good as your last video package.'"
Colleen Russell, yearbook co-editor-in-chief, said her experience in publications exceeds those gold stars and crowns.
"I think awards are important, and we're all so proud of our awards, but I think we've all gained so much more than just an award," she said. "The life lessons and the people we meet and Potter and Smith are worth so much more than any award that we could ever get."