MCSM Rampage editors, staff and school administrators represent at the 2019 Newsie Awards Luncheon
By Carol Cooper
On September 8th, 2019, a small group of excited Rampage staffers were escorted by Assistant Principal Charles Kwan to attend the 16th Annual Newsie Awards and High School Journalism Conference at Baruch College in lower Manhattan.
We were surprised and pleased when MCSM senior Anna Rhoads, who graduated last spring, won first place in the Best Editorial Writing Category. Anna’s quiet, well-articulated outrage over the unfairness of rich and famous parents lying and cheating to get their children into preferred colleges, triumphed over many other well-written opinion pieces. After a day full of conference workshops taught by experienced reporters and journalism professors, it was especially gratifying to accept this honor in front of an audience representing school newspapers from all over the city’s five boroughs.
Below is the official announcement from the Baruch School of Journalism’s blog, announcing Anna’s win, along with the judge’s comments:
Opinion/Editorial Writing
First Place: Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics, Anna Rhoads, “Assessing the College Admissions Scandal”
https://mcsmrampage.com/2019/03/opinion-assessin…missions-scandal/
Second Place: Edward R. Murrow High School, Cielo Castanada, “Not Your Common Teen Life”
https://themurrownetwork.wordpress.com/2019/01/02/not-your-common-teen-life/
Judge Josh Greenman is a member of the Daily News editorial board and the paper’s opinion editor, overseeing the op-ed page.
Judge’s Comments:
“Anna Rhoads’ essay for the MCSM Rampage on Operation Varsity Blues and broader injustices in college admissions is angry, well-reasoned and timely. It is animated by a strong sense of justice.
“Cielo Castanada’s essay on her pregnancy for The Murrow Network was deeply personal and thoughtful. She deserves praise for her courage.”
This year’s competition featured reporting on a wide range of topics. Student journalists investigated everything from the current epidemic of teen vaping, to the daily obstacles endured by homeless teens striving to complete high school. Some schools had staff cartoonists and multimedia reporters who demonstrated technical skills often unexpected at the high school level. Needless to say, our staff looks forward to competing again next year, as we continue to expand and improve the range of our annual content.
