Membership Questions
How can I find out if my high school has a charter?
Check the list of school members on our website here. If you don’t see your school’s name, you can double check by sending a quick email to Lori Keekley.
Does the membership pin come with the membership?
Included in the induction fee ($25 per student) is a membership pin and a membership certificate.
Is there an annual membership fee for students or for my school?
No. Once students or schools become members of Quill and Scroll, they are members for life. There is no annual membership fee.
What is the deadline to induct students?
There is no deadline. Students who meet the membership requirements can be inducted at any time.
Can I just order the graduation honor cords for my seniors?
The Quill and Scroll graduation honor cords can be ordered for any senior who is a member. Honor cords and other student awards may be purchased when nominating students for induction.
I inducted students last year that I would like to order editor pins for this year. Can I order just pins or do I have to pay the $25 induction fee again?
Once students are members, they do not need to “renew” memberships. Only new members must pay the membership fee upon joining. Advisers may order replacement pins for those who lost theirs. We have a limited number of position-specific pins in our credit card order form. As of July 2022, we are phasing out the position-specific pins in an attempt to maintain our current membership fee.
We have a charter, but it hasn’t been active for several years? What do I need to do to re-start it?
The charter is granted for the lifetime of the school and covers all school-sponsored journalism programs (newspaper, yearbook, literary, online, broadcast). There are no annual fees to maintain the school charter. The adviser can recommend students for membership at any time during the year.
Some smaller schools may have consolidated, so please email [email protected] to determine what to do about any existing charters and getting them transferred to the consolidated schools.
Some schools change names. If that’s the case, the charter is still valid. We just need to know the new name, the new adviser and any new contact information.
A list of qualifications for membership is printed on the front of the recommendation form as well as in the Chapter Manual or visit https://quillandscroll.org/student-memberships/ . The induction fee of $25 per student includes a membership pin of choice, membership certificate and one-year subscription to Quill & Scroll digital magazine. Students must be recommended for membership by the journalism adviser, they can’t join on their own. Student membership is considered a lifetime membership with no annual dues.
When should I place my order?
We ask all orders are placed (and either paid for or secured with a purchase order) three weeks prior to your induction. Please remember the spring is our busiest time of the year.
Contest and Evaluation Questions
How many contests does Quill and Scroll offer?
Quill and Scroll offers three contests – the Writing, Visual, Multimedia Contest, the Yearbook Excellence Contest and the Private School Journalism Association Contest. We also provide the News Media Evaluation over the summer, which evaluates and rates newspapers and news magazines.
In addition, Quill and Scroll helps other organizations and companies to conduct their journalism-related contests. In the past, these have included the Association of American Publishers, Allstate Foundation, and the Olive Garden contests.
Charter Questions
I advise the yearbook and there are different advisers for the newspaper, etc. Does each adviser have to apply for a Quill and Scroll Charter?
No, the charter is granted to the school and covers all school-sponsored journalism and media programs.
Are there annual dues to continue the Quill and Scroll Charter?
No, there are no annual dues.
I am a new journalism adviser and our school has a Quill and Scroll Charter. Are there required activities or meetings?
Quill and Scroll has no requirements for school chapters to have specific activities or meetings. Each school chapter is unique and can be as active as the journalism adviser and students choose. We encourage chapters to include Quill and Scroll members from all media programs at the school. Recommended activities include electing student officers and engaging in service activities, such as producing the school’s website, broadcast announcements or the PTO newsletter, conducting programs to teach elementary or middle school students journalistic skills, raising funds for media staffs to participate in workshops, or planning Constitution Day observances for the high school.
