Knox Colleges’ student-run news organization, The Knox Student, brought home 10 awards for the school from the Illinois College Press Association (ICPA) conference in Chicago, surpassing last year’s win of six awards. These include first place in News Story and Sports News Story, second place in General Excellence in Web, Feature Photo and Sports News Story, and third place in Sports Photo and Feature Story in Division D (enrollment up to 3,000). 

“I think it just really reflects the diverse skills that we have on staff here and also the hard work of everyone over the past four years to rebuild chaos after the pandemic. It's your hard work coming into fruition,” TKS Advisor Jane Carlson said. 

The Knox Student is a resource for students that covers a wide range of content from local and national news, to student life and opinion editorials. Starting as a newspaper in 1878, the organization was facing several challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and a decision had to be made to shift from the weekly newspaper to an online platform. Eleanor Lindenmeyer ’24, editor-in-chief of the magazine from 22-23, rebuilt the magazine, before transitioning this role to Jenna Schweikert ’25. 

Schweikert and Carlson rebuilt the website and adapted their communications to fit the needs of the modern student. 

“Long before Jenna and I were here, TKS has had a really excellent tradition of being an award winning outlet. This isn't new. I think what's significant is that our current staff, post pandemic, reinvisioned TKS,” Carlson said. 

The newspaper serves as an avenue for students, such as Schweikert, who are interested in journalism to explore their career field and refine their skills. Their team is composed of students from all class years and walks of life. Schweikert suggests the diverse perspectives of their team is reflected in their works. 

“We try really hard to make sure all the stories that we put out are representing a fair and balanced student perspective,” she stated. 

According to Schweikert, for students, both team members and the greater Knox community, the organization serves as a fundamental resource that voices issues for the students, by the students.