The National Scholastic Press Association awarded its highest All-American ranking to the Chronicle staff for work in the 2015-16 school year. The staff received marks of distinction in each area of critique: two marks for coverage and content, and one each for text, visuals, and presentation.
NSPA judge M. Watters said the Chronicle’s excellence comes from its depth of coverage.
“Congratulations to the staff for such an interesting publication and the thorough coverage offered,” Watters said. “Good topic choices for front page news and carry-over to the inside of the Chronicle. How fortunate for the students of Mason High to have such a terrific publication.”
The staff’s commitment to its audience in coverage of both local and global news is noteworthy, Watters said.
“I appreciate the many ways staff has covered news and then made certain to do follow-ups as news progressed such as the school board election and to international events such as the Paris attacks,” Watters said. “In both cases, as well as others, the staff shows these disparate events do affect students at Mason.”
Watters also identified stories such as “the very touching article about Elizabeth Lothrop” and “the off-beat story over Nerf guns” as stand-outs and examples of the Chronicle’s “varied coverage.”
This coverage was captained by the 2015-2016 leadership team: Editor in Chief Gina Deaton, Managing Editor Abbey Marshall, Sports Editor Kylie McCalmont, Visual Editor Madison Krell and Business Manager Ashton Nichols.
Deaton said she values the effort of her staff and the impact of her publication.
“I am immensely proud of our staff, and I am so blessed to have been able to lead such a talented team,” Deaton said. “There were definitely tough days and long nights, but our hard work sure paid off. I will always be proud to have been on the Chronicle staff, and I will always carry the experience and the lessons with me. I can’t wait to see what this year’s staff accomplishes.”
This is the fifth time The Chronicle has been named a NSPA All American.
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