Manhattan High is no stranger to awards, through sports teams, Science Olympiad, and now through its publications.

The 2016-2017 Blue M has received the honor of being named an All American publication from the National Scholastic Press Association. Think of it as a league championship, but with 288 games being won.

Hundreds of publications throughout the country submit to have their publications critiqued, and the rubric is not an easily conquered one.

“We have a critique scoresheet that goes over five areas of concentration within the publication,” said Laura Widmer, executive director of NSPA. “We have the different areas and you have to have at least four of the five marks of distinction in order to be considered All American. So you need to have the points but you also have to have a commendation from the judge that in four of the five areas you did exceptional, you did something worth noting.”

After the hours of blood sweat and tears the Blue M staff put in, this award is one for the staff to celebrate.

“My goal for being a journalism student at Manhattan High was to get an All-Kansas Award,” previous Blue M editor and senior Angie Moss said. “When I went through my editor-in-chief process my sophomore year when they interviewed and they asked what my goal was I said I just want to win All Kansas, I don’t care what we do, I just want to make the best yearbook Manhattan High has ever had. And throughout the production of the book, I was like ‘We’re doing this for All Kansas, we’re going to win All Kansas.’ And when we didn’t get All Kansas, it was heartbreaking. We entered for All American anyway just to see what they had to say for us and we won. It was crazy.”

With this win under her belt, Moss plans to continue to work hard and hopes for the legacy to continue after her graduation.

“Right now I’m focusing on newspaper getting the award and I want to maintain that,” Moss said. “Eventually the school and all of the other yearbookers, I hope they can take it to a Pacemaker. For me personally, I am going to take this into college, and have my future staff members hopefully make me into something.”