A committee with representatives from the Journalism Education Association, National Scholastic Press Association and Quill and Scroll International Honorary Society chose 14 First Amendment Press Freedom Award winners for 2021. The Kirkwood High School Journalism program is one of the 14 schools selected.

The KHS Journalism program consists of three publications. The names of the programs and their student leaders are:

The Kirkwood Call editors in chief are students Amara Harper, Amelia Hurley and Tom Mueller.
The Pioneer (yearbook) editors in chief are students Julia Frankel, Audrey Scherr and Ainsley Wade, editors in chief.
KHTV producer is student Thaddeus Morgan. 

The award recognizes private and public high schools that actively support, teach and protect First Amendment rights and responsibilities of students and teachers, with an emphasis on student-run media where students make all final decisions of content. Today, on Student Press Freedom Day, JEA honors those schools for their support of student voices.

As in previous years, schools competed for the distinction by first answering questionnaires submitted by an adviser and at least one editor; those who advanced to the next level were asked to provide responses from the principal and all media advisers and student editors, indicating their support of the First Amendment. In addition, semifinalists submitted their printed policies.

2021 First Amendment Press Freedom Award winners are as follows:

• The Archer School for Girls, Los Angeles
• Brighton (Colorado) High School 
• Chantilly (Virginia) High School
• Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, Rockville, Maryland
• Convent of the Sacred Heart High School, San Francisco
• Harrisonburg (Virginia) High School
• Kirkwood (Missouri) High School
• McLean (Virginia) High School
• Monta Vista High School, Cupertino, California
• Mountlake Terrace (Washington) High School
• South Salem High School, Salem, Oregon
• St. Louis Park (Minnesota) High School
• Stuart Hall High School, San Francisco 
• Whitney High School, Rocklin, California 

This is the 21st year for the award.

The 14 winning schools will be honored as part of the Spring JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention in awards presentation on Saturday, April 10.