Francis Howell North Student Named Top Journalist in State

Kelsey Bell, 18, never thought she would join the newspaper staff at Francis Howell North High School.

She watched how much time and energy her older sister put into the newspaper and wasn’t sure it was for her.

But Bell joined her sophomore year.

“By the third month, I knew I was not going to do anything else,” she said.

Today, Bell is editor-in-chief of North Star. She arrives at the publication room by 6 a.m. most mornings and stays until after 3 p.m. A filing cabinet by her desk is stuffed with textbooks, awards and gym clothes. 

Bell said she has loved working alongside another group of kids who are all striving for the same thing. 

"I've learned more in here about anything than I have in any other class," she said. 

Best in state

Last Thursday, her journalism instructor Aaron Manfull, surprised her with the news she was named Missouri High School Journalist of the Year by the Missouri Interscholastic Press Association. Each high school in the state is able to nominate one student for the honor. 

Bell submitted a 42-page portfolio that included many examples of her page designs. As a designer, Bell said she loves to collaborate with both the writer and the photographer to decide how to best tell the story visually.

“I’m in the middle of everything,” she said. “It’s fun to be the person who pulls it all together.”

Manfull said Bell is designing work right now that could be considered of professional caliber.

“She has this way to see things differently and display them in ways that are way beyond her years,” he said. “She never settles for just doing things, she works to do them great.”

Bell will receive the award at a ceremony April 4 in Columbia, MO, and her portfolio of work will be entered into the national competition. She is the fifth student from Francis Howell North to win the award. Most recently, 2006 graduate Danielle Karstens won.

Bell said she’d always heard about former staff members who won various awards and looked up to their work, much of which is plastered on the walls of the classroom.

“I think it’s really cool to be somebody else’s role model,” she said.

Aurora Blanchard, 17, the opinions editor for North Star, says Bell goes above and beyond to help others.

“She can look at a page and immediately see what’s wrong with it,” Blanchard said. “She’ll show you very quickly how to do everything.”

Plans for the future

Bell is planning to study journalism or design in college. She hasn’t yet picked a school, but thinks she’d like to pursue a career in the magazine industry.

Winning this award has given her a chance to reflect on her achievements, and keep senioritis at bay, she said.

“It’s so easy to just slow down and lose the pace I’ve had forever,” she said, adding that she wants to make the most of her time left. “Looking at how much I’ve done, I don’t want to waste any time.”