The Pepper Box Continues Legacy of Excellence with Quill & Scroll International Second-Place Award

The Pepper Box continues its award-winning legacy with its most recent accolade, the Quill & Scroll 2025 International Second Place honor for issues produced during the 2024-2025 school year. 

Returning 2024-2025 staff who helped produce the award-winning issues of Ritenour High School’s student newspaper will be key decision-makers this school year as editors: Visual Editor-in-Chief Elijah Powers, Content Editor-in-Chief Aryana Wilson, Production Editor-in-Chief Laqirra Colvin, Special Edition Editor Naleia Hall, Online Editor Koby Wilkinson, Social Media Manager Maddie Miller, Business Manager Halie Parks and Photography Editor Mya Moore. Section editors are A&E Editor Randy Lewis, Spotlight Editor Jesse Padilla Negrete, News Editor Jarvis McCaston Wright, Opinion Editor Kaliegh Marsala and Sports Editor Angel Aguilar. 

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

Wilson said the 2025 Quill & Scroll recognition is both exciting and motivating for the staff moving forward. The judges provided a comprehensive critique of the submitted issues of last year’s newspaper that will be helpful at making changes for this year, she said.

“I’m really proud of everyone on staff, and I hope we can match it or beat it this year, said Wilson. “We are definitely taking the critique into account…We want to take more photos in general, but specifically take fewer posed photos and more action shots. The Pepper Box is going to be working really hard this year. I am very excited.”

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 won a Quill & Scroll international first or second place award six times, several top awards from School Newspapers Online (a national organization), and dozens of top awards from the prestigious Missouri Interscholastic Journalism Association (MIJA).