VA HJR196

Theogony, the student newspaper at Alexandria City High School, received the Courage in Student Journalism Award from the Student Press Law Center and National Scholastic Press Association on November 15, 2025, in Nashville, Tennessee

The staff will also receive the Joseph W. Shoquist Freedom of the Press Award at the Southern Interscholastic Press Association Convention in March 2026

After Alexandria City Public Schools proposed stricter media policies following high-profile stories, Theogony staff partnered with the Student Press Law Center to create their own policy called "Voices Unbound," modeled after the New Voices student free press movement

The 2024-2025 staff included co-editors-in-chief James Libresco and Casey Donahue, along with section editors and staff writers who successfully secured editorial independence for the publication

The Virginia General Assembly formally commends the staff for their commitment to First Amendment rights and defense of press freedoms