2026 SESSION
ENROLLED
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 196
Commending the staff of Theogony.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 9, 2026
Agreed to by the Senate, March 11, 2026
WHEREAS, the staff of Theogony , the student newspaper at Alexandria City High School, received the Courage in Student Journalism Award from the Student Press Law Center and the National Scholastic Press Association at the Fall National High School Journalism Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, on November 15, 2025; and
WHEREAS, in addition to the Courage in Student Journalism Award, the staff of Theogony will receive the Joseph W. Shoquist Freedom of the Press Award at the Southern Interscholastic Press Association Convention in Columbia, South Carolina, in March 2026; and
WHEREAS, both accolades presented to Theogony recognize its staff's commitment to exercising their First Amendment rights and defending press freedoms; and
WHEREAS, after a series of high-profile stories brought scrutiny from Alexandria City Public Schools officials and the proposal of a stricter media policy within the division, staff at Theogony partnered with the Student Press Law Center to present their own policy, called “Voices Unbound,” which was modeled after tenets of the New Voices student free press movement; and
WHEREAS, despite initial resistance to their ideas, the staff at Theogony continued to advocate for their cause, garnering support both throughout the community and from national journalism organizations and receiving coverage from major news outlets; and