“I’m so proud of the whole staff for being able to manage such a great achievement, especially with all of the hardships that came with this year,” said Alanna Christman 21′.  “I’m grateful we were all able to still work hard to achieve this amazing accomplishment.”

Christman and  Jasmyn Sanchez 21′ are the Editor-in-Chiefs for the Mountaineer, Stroudsburg High School’s award-winning publication.

“This accomplishment is a testament to the staff’s hard work and dedication to the Mountaineer,” said Sanchez. “I am so proud of  everyone.”

For those unfamiliar with the gravity of the Distinguished Site Award, it’s the equivalent of a grand slam championship for any online newspaper. In order to obtain the award, the Mountaineer newspaper staff had to earn the following six badges: Site Excellence, Audience Engagement, Continuous Coverage Badge, Story Page Excellence, Excellence in Writing, and Multimedia. 

“It was really nice to complete something and get recognition for it,” said staff writer Emma Flanagan 21′. “I really enjoyed working on the Christian Hall video. I was able to experience and document a very important march in our own community and I loved the opportunity to really dive into it.”

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 made the transition from a hard copy newspaper to a digital publication, allowing it to gain national recognition for the third year in a row.

Each badge requires a grueling amount of work, as staff writer Nathan Reish 22′ recalls.

“Obviously this has been a difficult year, and working on the newspaper during these times is no exception,” said Reish.  “The whole communication process has been difficult, but seeing our goal be achieved is even more rewarding.  It couldn’t have been done without lots of hard work and perseverance.”

Throughout the school year, the entire Mountaineer staff has held countless meetings after school, during school, and sometimes even before school, to elevate the newspaper’s clout to where it is today. Through countless story revisions, competitions, site designing, and sleepless nights, the Mountaineer has been successful in not only producing award-winning content but a tight-knit journalism team as well.

“Seeing the whole staff work together on achieving this status has been very inspiring, and I really enjoy the togetherness that helps our publication run smoothly,” said Reish.

New Mountaineer staff members have noticed our success this school year.

“Something I have learned from my year on the newspaper was that it really does take a team effort to achieve even the smallest goals,” said first-year member Isabel Rivera 22′. “ I never realized how much we would all have to work together and be in contact with each other until we began working on earning the badges.”

The Mountaineer is one of the most-viewed online high school newspapers in the country. The staff would like to continue making its mark next year, as well. With the senior class rolling out, the newspaper is looking for more students who are interested in being a part of the journalism program.  If students are interested in making new friends, writing, taking photos/videos, designing our site, and having lots of opportunities to do fun things in school, they should contact adviser Mr. Matt Sobrinski at [email protected].

“This staff has been remarkable,” said Sobrinski. “Most had no journalism experience, but that has not stopped them from producing a top-notch publication. Fortunately, they have been guided by our two outstanding Editor-in-Chiefs, who meet daily to keep the ship sailing as smoothly as possible.”

Be sure to click on the link below to view the Mountaineer, as well as other high schools that have earned Distinguished Site recognition. Follow us on social media and join our google classroom for story updates and more.

The Mountaineer

Award-Winning High School Newspapers

Google Classroom Code: 5p7wb6i

Facebook: @shsmountaineer

Instagram: @shsmountaineer

Twitter: @SHSMountaineer

Snapchat: @shsmountaineer

Email: [email protected]