By David Karas | Correspondent

The school newspaper of Red Bank Catholic High School, Red Bank – The Signpost – has taken top national honors from the American Scholastic Press Association, which also recognized the paper’s editor-in-chief with a separate award.

The student-run publication took first place in the category of high schools with between 500 and 1,000 students, an honor that came about after reviewers looked over submitted newspapers from schools across the country and ranked each on a scale.

And it was during that review that one of the editors-in-chief of The Signpost – senior Michaela Fleming – was noticed for a piece she had penned.

“While the reviewer was looking through the paper they enjoyed my editorial, ‘The Government Shutdown: an Embarrassment,’” said Fleming, 17, of Wall Township. She received the “Outstanding Editorial Award” for her writing, an honor given to just three others nationwide – two college students and another high school student from a western state.

Fleming, who has written for The Signpost since her freshman year – spending two years as sports editor and currently serving as one of the editors-in-chief – said that she is “overwhelmed and overjoyed” by the honor she received.

“I’ve always loved writing, but I never believed in my work or thought that I was a good writer,” she said.

Fleming, a parishioner in St. Catharine-St. Margaret Parish, Spring Lake, said that the honors the paper itself has received also provide a boost for the editorial team.

“It is an uplifting feeling to know that all of our hard work doesn’t go unnoticed,” she said. “As a senior I hope that our award will continue to motivate the younger students to keep writing and reporting the news.”

It is The Signpost’s fifth year taking first-place honors, according to the publication’s moderator, Mary King, who has worked with the student organization for 20 years.

“This critique is very comprehensive and is very helpful to us to see what we do well and where we can improve,” she said.

King added that Fleming is the second RBC student to receive honors for editorial writing – a 2013 graduate, Bernadette Hogan, received an identical prize for her “The Importance of the Opinion” piece.

“These awards reinforce why we do this; our passion for the school news and providing the information for the students – giving them a voice,” said King. “It is very gratifying to be recognized and for others to then realize how hard we work and that we do create a quality product.”

She added, “We have always been supported by the administration, but it is nice for outsiders to honor the work that we do.”

Fleming said that being part of The Signpost has been one of her favorite parts of being a student at Red Bank Catholic.

“I’ve worked with so many different types of writers. It’s been enjoyable watching myself and other writers grow over the years,” she explained. “If I had to pick a favorite part it would most definitely be watching my ideas come to life in print.”

She also talked about participating in, and leading, meetings when the students would decide what articles would be printed and where they would appear, and said she enjoyed seeing everything come together into the final product that would be shared with their friends and classmates, and the wider RBC community.