Stroudsburg’s very own Mountaineer newspaper has officially received the Distinguished site award status for the fourth consecutive year!

Seniors Nathan Reish and Isabel Rivera are the Editor-In-Chiefs, and they couldn’t be more excited about this news.

“I am very proud of our staff’s teamwork and accomplishments from this year,” said Reish. “Receiving this award is a very rewarding feeling for all of us.” 

According to Rivera, this year’s staff faced a unique challenge.

“This year we went in with having to restructure the class, combining journalism one and advanced journalism classes,” said Rivera. “Despite this change, it makes receiving the badge more rewarding.” 

For those who are unfamiliar with the amount of effort and hard work that goes into earning that distinguished site status, the Mountaineer staff must earn a total of six badges. The Audience Engagement, Continuous Coverage, Site Excellence, Story Page Excellence, Excellence in Writing, and Multimedia badges all must be reviewed and accepted by “School Newspapers Online” (SNO) to earn the status. 

“This year has been an exciting yet challenging experience,” said sophomore Eric Card III. “I really enjoyed writing for the Mountaineer, and I look forward to writing for it again next year!” 

Each and every badge requires a demanding amount of work as well as exceptional abilities from the staff. 

The Mountaineer made its transition to the digital platform just six years ago, allowing the site to obtain national, not just local, recognition for its accomplishments. 

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 and videos, designing the site, and having lots of opportunities to do fun things in school, they should contact adviser Mr. Matthew 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 Editors-In-Chief, 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 the publication on social media and join the Mountaineer Google Classroom for story updates and more.

The Mountaineer 

Award-Winning High School Newspapers 

This year’s staff includes the following students:

Savannah Bone

Jessica Brady

Dana Persaud

Jonnathan Robles

Nicole Schmitt

Matthew Trezza

Noah Barro

Eric Card III

Julian Castellanos

Zyaire Coles

Sophie Howard

Sabrina Lopes

Diyanna Schlaeger

Andrew Silva

Nathaniel Verrella