Eleven George Mason High School students affiliated with the school’s online newspaper, The Lasso, attending a journalism conference at Columbia University in New York learned this afternoon that the Columbia Scholastic Press Association awarded their online newspaper a “silver crown” from among 1,100 entries nationally. The award comes as the News-Press has learned there is concern at the school that journalism may not be offered as a course in the fall. The McLean High School newspaper was also so honored today.