About Quest News

Part of Don Antonio Lugo High School’s rich history, Quest was established as a print publication over 30 years ago. Under the direction of Annette Deming, Quest became Quest News and began re-establishing itself as a self-sustaining student service class. In 2014, Quest News discontinued its print publication and opted for a more relevant 21st-century approach by going completely digital and embracing social media. Digital publications are a great alternative to expensive print media and allowed Quest News to drastically reduce its environmental footprint. In 2022 William Crisafi took over the program after Annette “graduated” with the senior class her son was member of.

Quest News is committed to publishing stories that students care about. The staff is carefully screened and selected by the Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor each year. They have established a well-respected and strong academic staff. The journalism program at Don Lugo High School is continuing to grow and offers CSU/UC (a-g) elective credit. The program offers scholarship opportunities, awards, and a multitude of student recognition. Journalism courses at this level are valuable to the college-bound student who will be required to fulfill communication credit in the future at both the CSU and/or UC level. A course in advanced journalism production looks great on a resume and applications for college, especially since we are a nationally recognized program with honor society status and recognition.

Typically a program like this offers the rigor sustainable and competitive to a program where students continue to be successful at the college level. A course like this has just as much merit on a college application as a recommendation for additional sciences and/or math courses. This course helps students gain hands-on experience writing, editing, and publishing in a professional setting. In 2014-2015, Quest News was accepted as a member of the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) and has been recognized with scholarships and fellowships by the American Society of News Editors (ASNE) and the Journalism Education Association (JEA). Since 1980, Quest has been recognized as a national honor society of journalists by Quill and Scroll which is supported by the University of Iowa. The awards and recognition from our program are substantial. Students have the opportunity to graduate with cords, letters for letterman jackets in journalism, pins, and patches, scholarships, fellowship opportunities, internships, and professional affiliation status.

The QN staff is mentored by professionals from CVUSD, the Chino Champion, the LA Times, KCAL rocks, Cal Poly Pomona, and many more. The 2015-2016 Quest News staff was the first to attend and compete at the NSPA/JEA Conference in Los Angeles in spring. The 2016-2017 Quest News staff was the first to compete at the SCJEA State Regionals and out of state at the NSPA/JEA National competition in Seattle, Washington. The 2018-2019 Quest News staff competed at the NSPA/JEA National competition in Anaheim, California. The 2019-2020 Quest News staff was scheduled to compete at the NSPA/JEA National competition in Nashville, Tennessee, is the first staff to write for the Los Angeles Times HS Insider, and won third place for Best HS Online Publication with the Los Angeles Press Club. The 2020-2021 Quest News staff had a challenging and unique year. They committed to continuous coverage even it was done so through distance learning. Three staff members attended the NSPA/JEA national conference virtually. The 2021-2022 Quest News staff competed at the spring NSPA/JEA national conference in Los Angeles.

Anyone interested in joining the journalism program or the Quest News staff should speak with their counselor and visit Mr. Crisafi in the Quest Newsroom in Room 24 or e-mail him directly at [email protected]