SNO Sites names 84 student publications to 2025-26 Distinguished Sites list

By AI, Created 7:16 PM UTC, June 01, 2026, /AGP/ – SNO Sites recognized 84 student news organizations as SNO Distinguished Sites for the 2025-2026 school year, the largest class in program history. The honor highlights digital journalism standards in student media and spans schools in the U.S. and South Korea.

Why it matters: - SNO Distinguished Sites status marks student news organizations that meet high standards in digital journalism. - The recognition signals which school publications are serving as models for reporting, storytelling and audience engagement. - The 2025-2026 class is the largest in the program’s history, underscoring broader growth in student digital news.

What happened: - SNO Sites recognized 84 student publications as SNO Distinguished Sites for the 2025-2026 school year. - The announcement was made June 1, 2026, from St. Louis Park, Minnesota. - The honored publications include student newsrooms in the U.S. and one in Daegu, South Korea. - SNO Sites said the program honors publications that demonstrate excellence in digital journalism.

The details: - To earn the distinction, publications must meet standards in six areas: story page design, homepage design, audience engagement, writing and editing, multimedia and continuous coverage. - Jason Wallestad, SNO co-founder, said student journalists and advisers at the recognized publications continue to raise the bar for scholastic journalism. - Wallestad said the sites show strong reporting, thoughtful storytelling and meaningful engagement with school communities. - The recognized publications include The Viper Times, XPress, Scot Scoop News, The Wildcat, The Burlingame B, The Sage, the Crusader, El Estoque, The Falconer, The Accolade, The Oracle, The Griffin Gazette, Talon, AmadorValleyToday, Day Creek Howl, Harker Aquila, The Foothill Dragon Press and The Wrangler. - Additional recognized publications include The Bobcat Prowl, Inklings News, The Gauntlet, CavsConnect, The Wave, Royal Courier, The BluePrint Online, The Raider Voice, The Trinity Voice, The Prowler, The Trail, Metea Media, U-High Midway, Blueprint, Wildcat Chronicle and LHS Magpie. - The list also includes AHSneedle, Spartan Shield, West Side Story, Wahawk Insider, Manual RedEye, The Pitch, Garnet & Gold Gazette, The Lance, The Tide, The Gator, The Emery, The Lantern, The Rubicon, Pathfinder, Marquette Messenger, The Maneater, The Kirkwood Call, LHStoday, FHNtoday.com and The Mirror. - Other honored publications are Lancer Spirit Online, The Crimson, Eastside, The Delphi, Tower, The Classic, The GH Falcon, Roaring Bengals, The Weekly Talon, ATHENS ORACLE, The Talisman, Blue Ace Media, The La Salle Falconer, wlhsNOW, Mountain Echo, The Purbalite, The Panther Press, The Dispatch, The Shield Online, Westwood Horizon, Three Penny Press, The Wolfpack, Coppell Student Media, The Review, KP TIMES, Eagle Nation Online, THE BLAZE, The Current, Cougar Chronicle and Jets Flyover. - SNO Sites said the recognized publications exemplify best practices in scholastic journalism and digital storytelling.

Between the lines: - The size of the class suggests more student newsrooms are reaching a level of digital maturity that can stand up to formal review. - The geographic spread, including multiple states and an international school, shows the program’s reach beyond a single region or school type. - The recognition also serves as a credential for advisers and student editors trying to build stronger newsroom habits.

What’s next: - SNO Sites directs readers to SNOsites.com to learn more about the program and view the full list of recognized publications. - SNO Sites says its platform continues to serve more than 3,000 newsrooms across the country and around the world. - The company, founded in 2008 by former journalism educators, says its WordPress-based publishing platform is built for multimedia and responsive school news websites.

The bottom line: - SNO Sites is using its largest-ever Distinguished Sites class to spotlight the student publications setting the standard for scholastic digital journalism.