Students who are struggling for acceptance at the local high school. Police detectives who are trying to solve decades-old killings on a tight budget. Families who are waiting for answers and justice after years in limbo.

These are the people whose stories we told in two front-page stories during the past year. Among the hundreds published by the Valley Record, those two were singled out by our peers for top honors in an annual competition.

It was great to see the Valley Record pick up two first-place writing awards at the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association’s 2010 Better Newspaper Contest.

With our circulation changing this past year due to a new in-person delivery model, the new Valley Record went up against bigger competition. But that didn’t keep our writing staff from claiming kudos.

Allison Espiritu’s March 3 story, “Reaching for Respect” was named Best Education Story, while my January 13 story, “Unsolved Mysteries,” was the Best Crime and Courts Story.

Diversity has been a heated issue at Mount Si High School in recent years. The Day of Silence, a national day of awareness about discrimination faced by gay and lesbian students, drew protestors, counter-protestors and national media attention. As the Day approached this year, our staff spoke with Mount Si students, teachers, parents and staff in an effort to give readers a clearer picture of what goes on in high school halls, and what is being done to create a safer, more civil school. The results were published as “Reaching for Respect.”

“This is a great story to raise awareness,” commented judges, who praised this piece as “a shining example of solid reporting on a controversial issue” that included lots of voices who aren’t always heard.

As for my story, the headline “Unsolved Mysteries” tells it all. I attempted to describe the fates of murder victims, slain prostitutes and a man likely killed for hire in the Snoqualmie Valley. In the process, I learned about the unusual tools, like a pack of playing cards, that the King County Sheriff’s cold case squad employs to make slow headway on a half-dozen never-finished murder cases, and spoke to the survivors who are still waiting for peace.

Judges praised the story’s solid reporting, strong initial paragraphs and plenty of interesting details that whetted readers’ appetites.

These awards help tell us at the Record what to aim for. Hung on the wall, the first-place certificates show visitors to our Snoqualmie office that our editorial team aspires to quality. More than that, they inspire us to dig deeper, listen harder and think longer about ways to find a new perspective or fresh voice.

Awards or no, the Record has been telling the Valley’s stories for 97 years. Some stories may have been simpler decades ago, but past pages still show journalists connecting with and caring about their community. This newspaper has always covered complex topics and given residents a voice. As we move toward our centennial, we plan to keep doing just that.

• Contact Editor Seth Truscott at editor@valleyrecord.com.