{"id":1967,"date":"2016-03-09T20:27:54","date_gmt":"2016-03-09T20:27:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/studentpress.org\/nspa\/?page_id=1967"},"modified":"2016-03-09T20:27:54","modified_gmt":"2016-03-09T20:27:54","slug":"2010-newspaper-pacemaker-winners","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/studentpress.org\/nspa\/awards\/2010-newspaper-pacemaker-winners\/","title":{"rendered":"2010 Newspaper Pacemaker Winners"},"content":{"rendered":"

8 or fewer pages<\/b><\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Stagg Line<\/b>, Amos Alonzo Stagg HS, Stockton, Calif.
\nSamantha Espinoza, Arianna Perez, editors
\nDon Bott, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Lion’s Roar<\/b>, Goddard HS, Goddard, Kan.
\nTanner Maxwell, editor
\nMatt Deabler, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Wingspan<\/b>, West Henderson HS, Hendersonville, N.C.
\nJoy Owens, Jessica Tobin, editors
\nBrenda Gorsuch, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

9-16 pages<\/b><\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Prospector<\/b>, Cupertino HS, Cupertino, Calif.
\nPriya Krishnakumar, Min Seog, editors
\nAnn Peck, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Rocky Mountain Highlighter<\/b>, Rocky Mountain HS, Fort Collins, Colo.
\nColton Klemperer, Greg Lewis, editors
\nStephen Wahlfeldt, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Eagle Eye<\/b>, Mountain Vista HS, Highlands Ranch, Colo.
\nTrevor David, Carli Auran, editors
\nMark Newton, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Inklings<\/b>, Crown Point HS, Crown Point, Ind.
\nCori Novelli, Deanna Sheafer, editors
\nJulie Elston, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Update<\/b>, H.H. Dow HS, Midland, Mich.
\nIan Kullgren, Kate McFadden, editors
\nCammie Hall, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Echo<\/b>, St. Louis Park HS, St. Louis Park, Minn.
\nSophie Nethercut, editor
\nLori Keekley, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Connection<\/b>, John B. Connally HS, Austin, Texas
\nLisa Do, Manuel Martinez, editors
\nKelly Lemons, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Stampede<\/b>, Burges HS, El Paso, Texas
\nJared Burgess, editor
\nPatricia Monroe, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Panther Pride<\/b>, Midlothian HS, Midlothian, Texas
\nCarson Bailey, editor
\nCarol Richtsmeier, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Chronicle<\/b>, Tom C. Clark HS, San Antonio, Texas
\nLindsey Medina, editor
\nMichelle Elizondo, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Tiger Times<\/b>, Texas HS, Texarkana, Texas
\nMarian Hill, Erin Waddles, editors
\nRebecca Potter, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

17 or more pages<\/b><\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Redwood Bark<\/b>, Redwood HS, Larkspur, Calif.
\nDom Fusco, Jake Kanter, editors
\nTom Sivertsen, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Chronicle<\/b>, Harvard-Westlake School, North Hollywood, Calif.
\nHana Al-Henaid, Sam Adams, editors
\nKathleen Neumeyer, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Falconer<\/b>, Torrey Pines HS, San Diego, Calif.
\nPatrick Galvin, editor
\nMia Boardman Smith, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Prowl<\/b>, Coral Glades HS, Coral Springs, Fla.
\nSamantha Rosier, editor
\nJonathan Gordon, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Lion<\/b>, Lyons Township HS, La Grange, Ill.
\nTom Meyer, editor
\nJason Scales, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Spotlight<\/b>, Blue Valley West HS, Overland Park, Kan.
\nMichael Dunlap, adviser
\nBethany Schulz, Kaitlin Xoiuris, editors<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Harbinger<\/b>, Shawnee Mission East HS, Prairie Village, Kan.
\nTim Shedor, Phoebe Unterman, editors
\nC. Dow Tate, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Lance<\/b>, Omaha Westside HS, Omaha, Neb.
\nJenny Shehan, Cara Wilwerding, editors
\nRod Howe, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Newsmagazine<\/b><\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Triangle<\/b>, Columbus North HS, Columbus, Ind.
\nEmily Miller, editor
\nKim Green, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Communicator<\/b>, Community HS, Ann Arbor, Mich.
\nKayla Stoler, Julia Mogerman, editors
\nTracy Rosewarne, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Quill<\/b>, Glendale HS, Springfield, Mo.
\nWill Marrs, editor
\nLisa Wingo\/Judy Wilson, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Century Star<\/b>, Century HS, Bismarck, N.D.
\nAmanda Littrell, editor
\nSue Skalicky, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Spark<\/b>, Lakota East HS, Liberty Township, Ohio
\nKevin Li, Dana Sand, editors
\nDean Hume, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Jr. High\/Middle School<\/b><\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Spectrum<\/b>, Harvard-Westlake MS, Los Angeles, Calif.
\nDavid Lim, Keane Muraoka-Robertson, Alex Ravan, Camille Shooshani, Megan Ward, Elana Zeltser, editors
\nStephen Chae, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

2010 NSPA Newspaper Pacemaker Finalists<\/b><\/p>\n

\n

8 or fewer pages<\/b><\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Plaid Press<\/b>, Granada Hills Charter HS, Granada Hills, Calif.
\nJoanne Choi, Jay Kim, Sara Naor, editors
\nMelissa Mason, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Stagg Line<\/b>, Amos Alonzo Stagg HS, Stockton, Calif.
\nSamantha Espinoza, Arianna Perez, editors
\nDon Bott, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Lion’s Roar<\/b>, Goddard HS, Goddard, Kan.
\nTanner Maxwell, editor
\nMatt Deabler, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Budget<\/b>, Lawrence HS, Lawrence, Kan.
\nJon Cohen, Samantha Schwartz, editors
\nHeather Lawrenz, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Wingspan<\/b>, West Henderson HS, Hendersonville, N.C.
\nJoy Owens, Jessica Tobin, editors
\nBrenda Gorsuch, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Blue & Gold<\/b>, Findlay HS, Findlay, Ohio
\nJohn Sisser, editor
\nJim McGonnell, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

9-16 pages<\/b><\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Prospector<\/b>, Cupertino HS, Cupertino, Calif.
\nPriya Krishnakumar, Min Seog, editors
\nAnn Peck, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Lancer<\/b>, Thousand Oaks HS, Thousand Oaks, Calif.
\nSean McMinn, Ben Longawa, editors
\nJo Zimmerman, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Rocky Mountain Highlighter<\/b>, Rocky Mountain HS, Fort Collins, Colo.
\nColton Klemperer, Greg Lewis, editors
\nStephen Wahlfeldt, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Eagle Eye<\/b>, Mountain Vista HS, Highlands Ranch, Colo.
\nTrevor David, Carli Auran, editors
\nMark Newton, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Inklings<\/b>, Crown Point HS, Crown Point, Ind.
\nCori Novelli, Deanna Sheafer, editors
\nJulie Elston, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Irish Eyes<\/b>, Grace King HS, Metairie, La.
\nBridget Rogers, editor
\nThomas Curran, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Patriot<\/b>, John Carroll School, Bel Air, Md.
\nDan Gallen, editor
\nMark Ionescu, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Update<\/b>, H.H. Dow HS, Midland, Mich.
\nIan Kullgren, Kate McFadden, editors
\nCammie Hall, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Arrow<\/b>, Utica HS, Utica, Mich.
\nJeff LaHaye, editor
\nStacy Smale, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Heights Herald<\/b>, Columbia Heights HS, Columbia Heights, Minn.
\nJessica Gordon, Lyly Nguyen, editors
\nJill Jungers, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Echo<\/b>, St. Louis Park HS, St. Louis Park, Minn.
\nSophie Nethercut, editor
\nLori Keekley, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Charger<\/b>, Oxford HS, Oxford, Miss.
\nCathy Chen, editor
\nCynthia Ferguson, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Prep News<\/b>, Rockhurst HS, Kansas City, Mo.
\nEvan Lang, Bret Raybould, editors
\nMike Dierks, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Expedition<\/b>, Durango HS, Las Vegas, Nev.
\nMatt Dangleis, editor
\nHolger Stolzenberg, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Nighthawk News<\/b>, First Flight HS, Kill Devil Hills, N.C.
\nTaylor Swankie, editor
\nRobin Sawyer, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Tiger Times<\/b>, Seoul International School, Seoul, S. Korea
\nStephanie Char, Janice Yoon, editors
\nCarolyn Brown, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Connection<\/b>, John B. Connally HS, Austin, Texas
\nLisa Do, Manuel Martinez, editors
\nKelly Lemons, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Stampede<\/b>, Burges HS, El Paso, Texas
\nJared Burgess, editor
\nPatricia Monroe, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Panther Pride<\/b>, Midlothian HS, Midlothian, Texas
\nCarson Bailey, editor
\nCarol Richtsmeier, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Chronicle<\/b>, Tom C. Clark HS, San Antonio, Texas
\nLindsey Medina, editor
\nMichelle Elizondo, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Tiger Times<\/b>, Texas HS, Texarkana, Texas
\nMarian Hill, Erin Waddles, editors
\nRebecca Potter, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Viking Vanguard<\/b>, Puyallup HS, Puyallup, Wash.
\nRebecca Harris, editor
\nSandra Coyer, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

17 or more pages<\/b><\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Redwood Bark<\/b>, Redwood HS, Larkspur, Calif.
\nDom Fusco, Jake Kanter, editors
\nTom Sivertsen, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Chronicle<\/b>, Harvard-Westlake School, North Hollywood, Calif.
\nHana Al-Henaid, Sam Adams, editors
\nKathleen Neumeyer, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Falconer<\/b>, Torrey Pines HS, San Diego, Calif.
\nPatrick Galvin, editor
\nMia Boardman Smith, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Rock<\/b>, Rock Canyon HS, Highlands Ranch, Colo.
\nAlex Rowe, editor
\nJack Kennedy, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Standard<\/b>, American School in London, London, England
\nBenjy Mercer-Golden, editor
\nShannon Miller, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Prowl<\/b>, Coral Glades HS, Coral Springs, Fla.
\nSamantha Rosier, editor
\nJonathan Gordon, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Southerner<\/b>, Henry W. Grady HS, Atlanta, Ga.
\nMadeline Roorbach, Jake Martin, Caroline McKay, editors
\nKate Carter\/Dave Winter, advisers<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Lion<\/b>, Lyons Township HS, La Grange, Ill.
\nTom Meyer, editor
\nJason Scales, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Spotlight<\/b>, Blue Valley West HS, Overland Park, Kan.
\nBethany Schulz, Kaitlin Xoiuris, editors
\nMichael Dunlap, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Harbinger<\/b>, Shawnee Mission East HS, Prairie Village, Kan.
\nTim Shedor, Phoebe Unterman, editors
\nC. Dow Tate, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Tiger Print<\/b>, Blue Valley HS, Stilwell, Kan.
\nAllison Kohn, Stephanie Roche, editors
\nJill Chittum, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Silver Chips<\/b>, Montgomery Blair HS, Silver Spring, Md.
\nNellie Beckett, Urja Mittal, editors
\nJoseph Fanning, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Lance<\/b>, Omaha Westside HS, Omaha, Neb.
\nJenny Shehan, Cara Wilwerding, editors
\nRod Howe, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Spoke<\/b>, Conestoga HS, Berwyn, Pa.
\nSeth Zweifler, editor
\nSusan Houseman\/Cynthia Hyatt, advisers<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Fourcast<\/b>, Hockaday School, Dallas, Texas
\nKeegan Watters, editor
\nAna Rosenthal, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The ReMarker<\/b>, St. Mark\u2019s School of Texas, Dallas, Texas
\nZach Wolfe, editor
\nRay Westbrook, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Newsmagazine<\/b><\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>PULSE Magazine<\/b>, Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego, Calif.
\nChris Cubbison, Amruta Trivedi, editors
\nChristopher Black, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Muse<\/b>, Dreyfoos School of the Arts, West Palm Beach, Fla.
\nLydia Ramirez, Erin Berger, editors
\nStephen Moore, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Triangle<\/b>, Columbus North HS, Columbus, Ind.
\nEmily Miller, editor
\nKim Green, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Communicator<\/b>, Community HS, Ann Arbor, Mich.
\nKayla Stoler, Julia Mogerman, editors
\nTracy Rosewarne, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Quill<\/b>, Glendale HS, Springfield, Mo.
\nWill Marrs, editor
\nLisa Wingo\/Judy Wilson, advisers<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>North Star<\/b>, Francis Howell North HS, St. Charles, Mo.
\nBarbara Jean Palmer, editor
\nAaron Manfull, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Horace Mann Review<\/b>, Horace Mann School, Riverdale, N.Y.
\nKevin Lin, editor
\nGregory Donadio, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Century Star<\/b>, Century HS, Bismarck, N.D.
\nAmanda Littrell, editor
\nSue Skalicky, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Spark<\/b>, Lakota East HS, Liberty Township, Ohio
\nKevin Li, Dana Sand, editors
\nDean Hume, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Arrow Newsmagazine<\/b>, Renton HS, Renton, Wash.
\nAjane Burnley, editor
\nDerek Smith, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Jr. High\/Middle School<\/b><\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Current<\/b>, Coronado MS, Coronado, Calif.
\nMarie Balfour, editor
\nAmanda Casares, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Spectrum<\/b>, Harvard-Westlake MS, Los Angeles, Calif.
\nDavid Lim, Keane Muraoka-Robertson, Alex Ravan, Camille Shooshani, Megan Ward, Elana Zeltser, editors
\nStephen Chae, adviser<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Judges’ Comments<\/strong><\/p>\n

JUDGE 1:<\/p>\n

Content is king.
\nCover the lives of your readers through brevity and depth. Start with the fundamentals (sports, theater, debate and Homecoming). Expand on the issues (the recession, substance abuse, sexual identity and crime). Bring the national and international stories home with local angles in news and commentary.<\/p>\n

Visuals support the content.
\nGive each section front a powerful visual (usually photos, but also illustrations). Develop concepts. Take risks. Crop secondary photos tightly.<\/p>\n

Design introduces the content.
\nHigh-school readers expect and deserve clean, simple, spacious design that shows off visuals and content. Play those lead visuals big and secondary visuals smaller.
\nIf the presentation is complicated and tight, you lose readers.<\/p>\n

Typography and white space are the navigation.
\nType and space distinguish the winners. Text type should be simple and silent, with no gaping letterspacing or wordspacing.\u00a0Frame your lead packages with white space. That takes some bravery \u2014 but pays huge dividends for readers.<\/p>\n

JUDGE 2:<\/p>\n

What the best publications did that set them apart:<\/p>\n

Covered the news at their school
\nLots of papers developed story ideas around current issues, but the best covered stories about what was happening at their school. That included student accomplishments (individual and group), student tragedies (accidental deaths, criminal behavior), changes in school personnel, the effect of budget cuts, etc. In short, they were newsy.<\/p>\n

Undertook investigative and other longer-form projects
\nTwo that stick in my mind are an investigation into inadequate services to students with disabilities in one paper and a three-part series on the effect of racism on students and teachers of color in another. Both used multiple sources.<\/p>\n

Designed professional-looking pages
\nConsistent spacing, consistent typography, consistent use of color, smart use of photos and other art.<\/p>\n

Understood their audience
\nSome papers that had good design, writing and editing seemed to be written more for their advisers or the contest judges than their real audience: students. Papers with a sense of fun in their layouts and writing and a laser focus on what their readers care about did better than papers that were trying to be too grown up.<\/p>\n

Had great photography
\nWhen it came down to sorting out the top four or five publications, those with great photos came out on top. That meant photos shot when events were actually happening, composing and editing shots well, capturing human drama and personality, and running photos big when they warranted it.<\/p>\n

Some common problems that kept publications from rising to the top:<\/p>\n

Fat, flat leads
\nThe first sentence of a story needs to be tight and bright. It sells the rest of the piece to the reader, so it should be the best sentence in the story. Too many stories had English-paper style introductions instead of leads.<\/p>\n

Mechanical errors
\nAs unfair as it sounds, if the first story I read in a paper had two or three typographical or grammatical errors in its first few paragraphs, that paper went to the bottom of my pile. People can\u2019t appreciate what a writer has to say if all they\u2019re thinking about is typos.<\/p>\n

Poor use and choice of photos
\nToo many papers used two, three or four photos for a story when they should have picked the one best photo and run it big. Good photos catch people in action; a person or group should be posed only when absolutely necessary.<\/p>\n

JUDGE 3:<\/p>\n

Winning newspapers:
\nCovered topics that are interesting to their core audience: high school students. Interesting topics are the kinds of things students will talk about on lunch break: Who\u2019s that interesting guy? What\u2019s the reason behind a new school rule or state\/local law, and do people think it\u2019s fair? What do those foreign exchange students think of us? Why do people get pigeon-holed into cliques? Why was the dance canceled? (Notice that these are all questions.) What\u2019s the impact of sharing nude photos with other students?<\/p>\n

Held educational institutions accountable by testing whether they were performing according to the rules (e.g., enforcing school rules, following safety procedures).<\/p>\n

Expressed bold opinions in columns or on the editorial page, being willing to disagree with the school administration \u2013 or even (perhaps especially) willing to disagree with prevailing student opinion.<\/p>\n

Dug for facts, not just good quotes. Are classes being cut? Name them, and show me which areas of study are most affected.<\/p>\n

Ran corrections, demonstrating to their audience that they are willing to correct errors (which we all try to avoid, but which are inevitable, even in the best of professional newspapers).<\/p>\n

Used infographics that both engaged the readers\u2019 eyes and made useful or interesting information very accessible.<\/p>\n

DON\u2019Ts
\nDon\u2019t enlarge small images to fit large spaces \u2013 they pixilated and make your newspaper look amateur.<\/p>\n

Avoid cutesy design elements that are difficult to read, such as no spaces between first and last names in bylines. All design should engage readers and facilitate comprehension of the content.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t steal copyrighted photos. And if you are using a copyrighted photo with permission, note in the credit that you are using it with permission.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t refer to singular nouns with plural pronouns. A \u201cteam\u201d is an it, not a they. \u201cStudent council\u201d is an it, not a they. Yes, everyone else makes this mistake, but journalists are the ones who are supposed to get it right.<\/p>\n

If a topic seems boring to you, but necessary to cover, do your best to find out why it\u2019s important and figure out how to make it interesting. If it\u2019s not, and you can\u2019t, confine it to briefs. No one reads boring stories.<\/p>\n

Avoid worn-out, lazy, clich\u00e9 ledes. Don\u2019t start with \u201cImagine,\u201d don\u2019t start with quotes, don\u2019t start with scenes from your reporting unless the scenes are compelling and directly relevant to the topic.<\/p>\n

JUDGE 4:<\/p>\n

Best of the Pacemakers:
\nGood, strong, modular design that had all of the elements working in concert. Good action shots that captured the mood, feel and value of the story. Additions of visual breakout boxes that added value and helped tell the story more completely. \u00a0Good mix of design throughout the paper, putting a strong centerpiece with varying other pieces. Things were easy to find and helped me navigate the paper.<\/p>\n

Photos that had action and reaction in them that provided inherent value on the page. Strong captions that provided the reader with not only a full understanding of what was going on in the image, but also why that image had value. Hierarchy of images down the page to prevent competing images.<\/p>\n

Headlines added value and told me what I would be getting in the story. They were written in strong noun-verb-object structure. When coupled with a \u00a0deck head, the pieces worked independently and didn\u2019t repeat or contradict one another.<\/p>\n

Stories were on important topics that showed relevance to the audience. The writers selected topics that were germane to their readers and provided them with a clear reason they should read the pieces. Stories were varied in terms of news, sports, features, profiles and more. A broad array of coverage existed that provided all readers with something of interest.<\/p>\n

Stories had multiple sources that added value. News leads were strong, concise and valuable. Narrative leads had provided interest and engagement for the readers along with a solid nut graf that showed how this intro related to the remainder of the story. Attributions were plentiful and made sense. Grammar, spelling, style and more were all clearly prevalent in the writing. Stories were written to the proper length. They had no holes and yet were not overly long.<\/p>\n

Worst of the Pacemakers:
\nDesign made it impossible to follow the stories on the page. Forced blind leaps across images to continue reading, graphics that detracted from the stories, elements that failed to tell the same story or that contradicted one another. The use of giant or miniscule photos that didn\u2019t provide value to the pages. The use of photos that were posed or that were dead art (shots of a building for no real reason). Poor headline hierarchy and bad visual decisions (no centerpieces etc.)<\/p>\n

Photos that were too large or too small to read well. Lack of images with profiles (I want to see the people when you\u2019re telling me all about them). Photos that were grainy, blurry, too dark, too light or pixilated. Bad decisions on which images to make primary and secondary in a photo package or essay (giant mug shot, tiny action shot).<\/p>\n

Headlines lacked nouns, verbs or objects to some degree. Headlines that didn\u2019t reflect the story (Golf wins tourney headline when they finished fifth but with a \u201cmoral victory\u201d according to the coach). Boring headlines (Board of Trustees to hold meeting) or headlines that were too cute for their own good.<\/p>\n

Stories that had bad leads, clich\u00e9 leads, held a meeting leads, quote leads, \u201cit\u2019s been said\u201d leads, \u201cmany people think\u201d leads, \u201cso and so is not your typical student\u201d leads and other similar issues. Overuse of rhetorical questions within stories. Opinion creeping into stories either through the use of biasing adverbs (Fortunately, they finished third. [who says that\u2019s fortunate?]) or through the lack of attributions. Attributions that went verb-noun to the point that it sounded like Yoda was writing the story.<\/p>\n

Lack of sourcing (one source stories) or use of poor sources that didn\u2019t really reflect added value (While Gen. David Petraeus says the strategy to move troops into Iraq via a paratroop tactic will work, Homestead High freshman Jimmy Jones says he doesn\u2019t think this is the case.). Giant holes in a story created by lack of sourcing or unanswered questions (This is the second time the school has an Olympic Gold Medal winner. [OK, so what\u2019s the first?]).<\/p>\n

Opinion page was littered with columns that I could have gotten anywhere (an opinion on Obamacare or socialism). Personal rants on the opinion page that lacked broader appeal (I\u2019m so pissed I got a parking ticket!).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

8 or fewer pages The Stagg Line, Amos Alonzo Stagg HS, Stockton, Calif. Samantha Espinoza, Arianna Perez, editors Don Bott, adviser Lion’s Roar, Goddard HS, Goddard, Kan. Tanner Maxwell, editor Matt Deabler, adviser Wingspan, West Henderson HS, Hendersonville, N.C. Joy Owens, Jessica Tobin, editors Brenda Gorsuch, adviser 9-16 pages The Prospector, Cupertino HS, Cupertino, Calif. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":22,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"single.php","meta":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/studentpress.org\/nspa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1967"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/studentpress.org\/nspa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/studentpress.org\/nspa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/studentpress.org\/nspa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/studentpress.org\/nspa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1967"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/studentpress.org\/nspa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1967\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1968,"href":"https:\/\/studentpress.org\/nspa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1967\/revisions\/1968"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/studentpress.org\/nspa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/22"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/studentpress.org\/nspa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}