For the first time since becoming a digital publication, the Mountaineer newspaper staff has been named a “Distinguished Site.”  The award is given to top quality newspapers by Scholastic Newspapers Online (SNO).

SNO hosts 2,814 websites, in which 2,375 are high school news sites. The Mountaineer was also one of only 64 high school newspapers nationwide to receive this award.

“This is an incredibly difficult award to receive,” said adviser Mr. Matt Sobrinski. “The students must be successful in every facet of the newspaper, and this group was.  Every member of this year’s staff deserves credit for this award.”

In order to receive this prestigious award, the newspaper had to earn six unique badges: Continuous Coverage Badge, Site Excellence Badge, Story Page Excellence Badge, Excellence In Writing Badge, Audience Engagement Badge, and Multimedia Badge. 

The staff has worked very hard throughout the school year to earn these badges. Everyone on the staff has contributed in one way or another by editing, writing stories, and publicizing them.

“The newspaper this year really excelled in so many aspects. We were lucky to have a really great group of passionate, hardworking, and fun students. To continue our success, we are working on preparing our Editors for next year,” said Editor-in-Chief Alefiyah Vahanvaty.

The Mountaineer newspaper has been published and read by a variety of people since 1929. Recently, due to the new advancement in technology, the Mountaineer has transitioned from a hard copy newspaper to a digital publication.  This new format allows the students to publish news on a daily basis.

The Mountaineer joined the School Newspaper Organization Site (SNO) four years ago.

Stroudsburg High School’s newspaper staff is excited about earning this award, and their goal is to continue their excellence in journalism next year, as well.

“Every year, our goal is to leave the newspaper in better condition than we found it,” said Sobrinski. “Well, this year tops them all.  This staff has laid a rock solid foundation for next year’s staff.  The 2019-2020 staff is already preparing for next year,” added Sobrinski.

Click on the link below to view the Mountaineer, as well as other high schools that have earned Distinguished Site recognition.