Best of the Clarion

Certain stories and pictures just jump off the page to our Clarion editors.  We’d like to feature those here and archive them for the school year so you can enjoy them as well.  Featured stories are added to this page bi-weekly.

BEST STORY:

For What It’s Worth:  Chocolate Edition (Kate Alaks) – awarded March, 2013
In the style of the hit non-fiction book Freakonomics, Kate Alaks has begun analyzing life at RB through an economic lens.  In this entry, she considers why it is that all those fundraising chocolate bars cost just exactly one single dollar.

Why I still play football even after a concussion (Nick Cundari) – awarded 2/1/13

As the Superbowl took over the national consciousness, Nick Cundari offered a personal spin on President Obama’s comments on the consequences of playing football and the new scientific studies that offer the possibility of identifying chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in living patients.

Connect on Tumblr, Bulldog Job Board (Renee Miedlar/Celina Villegas) – awarded 1/18/13
Clarion took one more step into Web 2.0 when Renee and Celina unveiled their Tumblr page.  Now, our readers have a whole different way to interact with our photos and videos on the social network.

It’s still a Wonderful Life, 66 years later (Charlie Connelly) – awarded 12/20/12
There’s just something about tradition.  Charlie’s movie review reminds us why the classics become the classics and why we watch them year after year.

Teacher tenure no longer such surefire protection (Emily Filec) – awarded 11/16/12
It was a tough story to research and grasp.  Even teachers are still learning what SB 7 means for their jobs, but Emily looked at the factual side of the story and the human side of the story and made it relatable.

Cross country sees reduced from raised fees (Cameron Kritikos) – awarded 10/5/12
Cameron got the spreadsheet and the scoop when he noted how far cross country enrollments had fallen since Pay to Participate was instituted.

RB’s Got Talent – again! (Lauren Grimaldi) – awarded 9/21/12
You have to give credit to a story that includes a quote about kitten-juggling sword swallowers.  Lauren’s piece was an excellent preview of our second annual talent show.

MOST HITS:

How Dreams for Daniele changed me too (Charlie Connelly) – awarded March, 2013
It was an event that changed a school and brought us all together for weeks.  In a personal opinion column, Charlie Connelly reflected on what we were all thinking about – family, love, community, friendship.

Yes, bigger class sizes really do hurt students (Staff Editorial) – awarded 2/1/13 At the recommendation of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, Clarion dove into the world of staff editorials by having a frank and honest discussion of the impact of rising class sizes at RB.  A second staff editorial looked at the implications of arming RB teachers or security guards to improve school safety.

Sardines or Students (Part III):  The Numbers (Rachael Kluba) – awarded 1/18/13
RB’s increased class size is quickly becoming the major story arc of 2012-13.  Rachael reviewed the numbers, even fixed the board’s original report, and communicated them to the public.  Kudos, Rachael!

RB senior passes away unexpectedly in car accident (Robby Filec) – awarded 11/16/12
It isn’t the kind of story you ever want to have to print in a school newspaper, but Robby immediately and compassionately covered the news of Patrick Gurschke’s passing.  He helped to accurately deliver the news to the community, and that’s what a student newspaper is all about.

RBEA responds to board member’s allegation (Rebecca Rusiecki) – awarded 10/5/12
When Board Vice President John Keen suggested that RB teachers had not had the school’s best interests in mind, the RBEA felt compelled to respond in a public statement at the next board meeting.  News Editor Rebecca Rusiecki covered the story and brought the video to a wider audience.

Parents react to $200 pay to participate fee (Rachael Kluba) – awarded 9/21/12
Last year, pay to participate fees of $75 were instituted at RBHS.  This year, the athletic fee jumped to $200 and club fees of $75 and $100 for performance and competitive activities were added.  Staff reporter Rachael Kluba went straight to the parents to find out how they felt about all of it.

BEST PHOTO: