About Us

The Kirkwood Call has been the official newspaper of Kirkwood High School since the first issue was printed in 1918. According to a Call article from the 1940s, The Call was created shortly after the Webster Groves High School paper The Echo, and was named The Call to appear-rightly so-superior to its Webster counterpart. Today, after surviving through economic depression, war, nuclear threats and St. Louis weather, The Call is now in its 92nd year and its legacy around Kirkwood has continued to grow.

In The Call‘s computer lab resides a framed front page of the January 22-28, 1988 Kirkwood Webster Times; the page features Katie Collins, editor at the time of The Call, responding on the Hazlewood Supreme Court ruling which limited student’s right to free speech. Luckily, the Kirkwood High School administration frequently supports student’s first amendment rights, reflected by the 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 First Amendment Free Speech Award given to KHS by the Journalism Education Association (JEA).

The Call also boasts an internationally accredited journalism adviser: H. L. Hall. Hall wrote a text book on journalism education, entitled High School Journalism. This is the exact textbook which Kirkwood’s Journalism-1 class still uses today. Hall also served as the adviser of The Call and Pioneer (yearbook) for 26 years (1973-1999). During his period as adviser for The Call and Pioneer, Hall was awarded various titles by high school journalism organizations such as JEA and the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA). Currently, there are several scholarships in Hall’s name.

While The Call staff of 41 that exists today is primarily run by student editors, the paper still serves as an educational experience for students. Mitch Eden, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville graduate, holds a degree in education/journalism and a Masters in Education from National-Louis University. He became the adviser of The Call in 2006. Since then, Eden has successfully made the newspaper even better, and through his teaching has led the paper to the NSPA National Pacemaker Award (unofficially known as “The Pulitzer Prize” for student journalism”) in 2008. The Call has been awarded several other honors under his leadership, but Eden will be remembered most for his furious dedication to Kirkwood High School’s publications, his desire for the success of his students, and his ability to inspire those same students.

Under Eden’s direction, The Call has also become a free publication, supported by advertisments from local businesses and patrons from local families. Keeping The Call free not only has expanded our readership, but it has expanded our sense of responsibility as student journalists. We promise to bring you the highest quality journalism possible guided