Thank you for helping us bring you the stories of CF

Click click click … Tap tap tap … Click click click … The incessant tapping continues.

7:55 the bell rings and the school day begins. Around 1,200 students mill around the halls, pushing past each other to avoid getting a tardy.

Click click click … Tap tap tap … Click click click … Moving eyes under furrowed brows stare hard at the glaring screen before them ignoring the usual commotion the first bell of the day brings. One more click. Refresh. A sigh travels around the room for the 10th time that morning. Patience gives way to frustration as the mouse cursor hovers over the refresh button of the Iowa High School Press Association (IHSPA) website. Click.

Nothing. No results. Not yet.

Each spring, the IHSPA holds a contest that “seeks to recognize the best work of Iowa high school publications – both online and in print.” A contest which the Tiger Hi-Line chooses to participate in regularly. Awards won bring not only joy to our hard working staffers, but also recognition for all the stories, the photos, everything that makes up the papers we bring out every Friday for you to read.

Ping! Four hours later, the very same pair of eyes flit toward a screen once more as notifications pop up. One standing out from the rest that read, “The Hi-Line has almost 100 certificates for top finishes in the IHSPA annual newspaper contest.”

A smile breaks out, the same smile I imagine appears on many other Hi-Line staffers as well. Restless energy builds up and the need to rush into Room 208 grows with every passing second.

We at the Tiger Hi-Line would like to sincerely thank anyone and everyone who has picked up a paper, read a story or liked and commented on any of our social media accounts. Thank you to the teachers who take the time to pick their mail up on Fridays and help us in distributing the newspaper. Thank you to the people we have interviewed and photographed, to those who have contributed to the Hi-Line in any way, shape or form, no matter how small. Thank YOU, our audience. None of this would be possible without your help and attention.

There is something inherently special about something made by students for students, which the Tiger Hi-Line is. All the excitement, the action, the emotion, the facts and even the drama is collected and expressed by students in a single story filled production. As those who have reported the best and at times even the worst of Cedar Falls High School and our surrounding community, we can only hope that our readers have delighted in every word and photograph published as much as we have.

With 241 points, we make the top 10 finalists for News Team of the Year. An award we have had the honor of winning two years in a row. (Talk about pressure, right?) Together, we have all achieved much. However, to walk away as three time IHSPA champions, we will need your help now more than ever. Let’s do this Tigers!

[To see a full list of awards and awardees including those for Hawkeye Photographer of the Year and Videographer of the Year, please refer to page three of this issue (paper copy) or scroll through our news tab (online).]