Three years ago Liberty publications launched an online news website lhstoday.org. which is a student led and journalistic based website that provides news coverage to the Liberty community. Each year it has expanded its coverage with all publications classes contributing content.

School Newspapers Online (SNO) hosts lhstoday.org and sponsors a recognition program for online scholastic journalism. The SNO Distinguished Sites recognition program gives news staffs six standards that will help their publications excel online.

On March 19, the publications staff received their sixth and final badge and became one of only 16 sites nationwide to receive the 2019 Distinguished Site honor.

Throughout the school year, online editor and senior Caleb Woods has been working on this project since he went to a online journalism conference at Kirkwood High School in September.

“Our adviser, Mr. Hall, told me that he wanted to be a distinguished site this school year,” Woods said. “I thought it will be a good way to cap off my senior year.”

But Woods wasn’t the only one who helped on the project. Co-editor of the Ledger Magazine and senior, Chasteanne Salvosa, also helped on the project. Salvosa has been a part of publications since her freshman year and contributed to the website since it started publishing content in April of 2016.

“Ever since we posted the first story,” Salvosa said. “We’ve been working hard to get it where is today and being one of the top 20 schools in the country.”

In order to become a SNO distinguished site, a school has to meet guidelines and obtain all six badges.

The SNO badges are:

1. Continuous Coverage
2. Site Excellence
3. Story Page Excellence
4. Excellence in Writing
5. Multimedia
6. Audience Engagement

Liberty is one of the only St. Louis area schools to get the honor. Other schools who have received this recognition are: Parkway West, Kirkwood and Francis Howell North.

The final badge publications had to get was audience engagement. They had to get a combined 1,000 social media followers on their Twitter @LHSJourn and Instagram lhs.publications accounts.

“I’ve been working on that final badge for two months,” Woods said.

Mr. Hall, publications adviser, was very excited about the honor.

“One of my favorite moments since I came to Liberty,” Hall said. “This is really big for our organization because all of the classes came together on this goal since beginning the site three years ago. The website has become the core of our program, where all the publication staffs can contribute.”