“Every Well Informed Student Reads The Spotlight”- Volume XVI, Number 10, February 26, 1930

The Denver East High School newspaper, The Spotlight, is an over 100 year old

publication with issues coming out as early as 1921. In all of these years, the paper has explored a variety of dispositions. With different logos, crests, mottos, editors, writers and stories, the history of The Spotlight is a stark reflection of the history of both East High School and The United

States. Throughout controversy and discouragement, the paper has never failed to bring the students the best news and layout over the years. To take a look at where it all started, below is the very first Masthead of The Spotlight:

The first edition of The Spotlight was published April 7th 1921, and contained a most accurate motto, right under the Masthead. The caption reads: NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH. Even through the roaring 20s, The Spotlight was dedicated to the truth. Today the paper is free, but in 1921, it was 10 cents a piece, and the editors began to lay out its rules and standards, giving all power to the Spotlight committee and making promises to the student body that still apply today. 

The 1921 editorial board began the first article, writing, “Students of East Denver, do you realize that this is your paper because it is the school paper and you are the school. The success of this paper depends mostly upon your enthusiastic cooperation.” Some of the headlines in this paper included, “Spotlight Jokes”, “Drama Club Notes”, and “Curiosity and Study”. The next motto of the spotlight was at the beginning of the 1921 school year, and it read, “Don't Flinch; Don’t Foul; Hit The Line Hard.”

Through the Great Depression, WWII, the Cold War, Rock and Roll, the Civil Rights

The Spotlight, Volume XVI, Number 11, March 12, 1930

Movement, and Y2K, The Spotlight has done it all. With the hundreds of issues that have been produced, The Spotlight has received backlash and controversy from both the student body and staff. The image of East High School has been threatened before, recently with the safety concerns surrounding multiple gun violence events. However, The Spotlight refuses to back away from these stories. The infamous “HANDS UP” cover received worried feedback from the administration and staff, mostly due to the fear of negative press. 

The latin phrase, “Nil Sacrum Est”, is the current motto of the newspaper, first appearing in Volume LXXI, Number 2, October 31, 1985. The term has cycled through having a question mark and not having one, meaning either “nothing is sacred” or “is nothing sacred?” A question or a statement? The motto is rumored to have come from a bitter feud between journalism and yearbook, where The Spotlight changed all of the computer passwords to Nil Sacrum Est to prevent them from tampering with a new issue. However, the dates may beg to differ, computers just became common in the 1980s, and “passwords” were most likely not the origin of the phrase. Either way, the question lies in the minds of every Spotlight writer, is nothing sacred?

When faced with controversy like the SWAT incident, the death of Charlie Kirk, the Dobbs v. Jackson decision, and the scandal with the McAuliffe principal, the Spotlight has historically covered everything and anything. The image of East High School is not “sacred” enough to deny the importance of journalism and news. East High School students deserve a publication that will honor their right to the truth, and the Spotlight will always do it properly. Holding true to the journalistic code of ethics, and good morals, the Spotlight only has our best and brightest, true journalists.