Across our state, students are using their voices and their creativity to inform, inspire and innovate. Whether they are reporting in their school’s newspaper, amplifying stories through a podcast or recording and producing in the studio, North Carolina students continue to demonstrate the power of media literacy, storytelling and student leadership.
We are excited to begin the Student Media Spotlight Series to highlight all of the remarkable examples of student media in action across our state. Have a student media story to share? Fill out our story form.
Green Hope High School (Wake County Public Schools) student journalists in the Leadership in Media Honors class have soared to incredible heights. The school’s newspaper, The Green Hope Falcon, earned recognition as a 2025 School Newspapers Online (SNO) Distinguished Site and is one of only six schools worldwide selected from 435 participating programs. This year’s distinction marks the fourth consecutive year Green Hope has earned this honor.
To earn the distinction, students secured all six SNO badges, demonstrating excellence in:
- Best of SNO
- Audience Engagement
- Multimedia
- Story Page Excellence
- Continuous Coverage
- Site Excellence
This year alone, The Green Hope Falcon has been awarded three “Best of SNO” awards.
The Green Hope Falcon’s student journalists’ education extends beyond the classroom, with many students participating in prestigious learning opportunities like the Chuck Stone and NCSMA Student Journalist Summer Programs, both of which are hosted through the UNC-Chapel Hill’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media.
Each summer for the past four years, a Green Hope student has been chosen to participate in the Chuck Stone Program, a college preparatory program for high school students that selects only 12 rising high school seniors each year.
Multiple Green Hope student journalists also recently attended North Carolina Scholastic Media Institute where they attended sessions on writing, media law and design as well as participated in a press conference with sportswriter Tim Crothers.
The Green Hope Falcon staff have produced exemplary reporting, multimedia storytelling and community coverage. Their achievements reflect a powerful culture of collaboration and leadership.