Wando’s Millie Rice honored as 2022 SC Scholastic Journalist of the Year
March 14, 2022
Wando High School is proud to announce Millie Rice, coeditor in chief of Legend, the school’s award-winning yearbook, was recently named the 2022 South Carolina Scholastic Journalist of the Year by the South Carolina Scholastic Press Association (SCSPA).
Rice is the seventh student from Wando to earn this honor. The senior is also the fifth Warrior to receive this award in the past six years, and the fourth yearbook student to earn this recognition during that span. It is the highest honor a high school journalist can receive in the state.
“This is unprecedented dominance by one school for the award in SCSPA’s 53-year history of awarding it,” said Wando English teacher and yearbook adviser Phillip Caston. “Millie is one of the most award-winning students in Wando yearbook history; she is already in the top-five, with more honors likely to follow.”
Rice completed an online portfolio of work ranging from writing, photography, design, editing, and entrepreneurship, as well as several letters of recommendation and a personal essay. Rice’s portfolio can be viewed by clicking on this link.
“Being selected as Journalist of the Year for South Carolina is honestly lifechanging,” Rice said. “It means that all of the hard work I did behind the scenes was worth it to be chosen for this award. Being a part of the Wando High School yearbook staff has impacted my life in so many positive ways that it’s hard to name specific ones. This program has given me my closest friends and the confidence to go out and face the world. Being selected by my advisor as one of three leaders of this program has inspired me in so many ways because of the drive and motivation that the staff members have.”
Millie Rice with her mother
Rice will be honored by the SCSPA at their annual conference later this spring.
“Millie employs some of the best work ethic I’ve ever experienced in my entire teaching career, and she sets incredibly high standards for herself,” added Caston. “She is never satisfied that she has done enough, and she is always willing to take on the jobs others try to avoid. This drive and tenacity has been the oil that keeps our yearbook machine running. She couples that effort with her incredible writing and design talents as well as hands-on, lead-by-example mentorship that she provides for the entire staff.”
Rice’s portfolio will represent South Carolina in the Journalism Education Association’s National Journalist of the Year competition. She will travel with members of the Legend staff to Los Angeles next month for the national conference to learn the results.
For more information, contact Phillip Caston, at [email protected].
About the Charleston County School District
Charleston County School District (CCSD) is a nationally accredited school district committed to providing equitable and quality educational opportunities for all of its students. CCSD is the second-largest school system in South Carolina and represents a unique blend of urban, suburban, and rural schools spanning 1,300 square miles along the coast. CCSD serves approximately 49,000 students in 88 schools and specialized programs.
CCSD offers a diverse, expanding portfolio of options and specialized programs, delivered through neighborhood, magnet, IB (international baccalaureate), Montessori, and charter schools. Options include programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); music and other creative and performing arts; career and technical preparation programs; and military.
