Whether its a minor story or a school wide controversy, the members of the Rebellion staff strive to keep the Walpole community informed of current news. Along with their five print papers published over the course of the school year, students from Journalism I, II, and III collaborate to keep their online website up and running with the most news-worthy topics that concern the town of Walpole. On May 2, 2014, the Rebellion Staff traveled to the New England Scholastic Press Association Conference where they listened to various presentations. After the presentations conclude, the Director of NESPA Helen Smith announced the awards for their scholastic publishing, editing, advertising, and others. For the 2013-2014 school year, the Rebellion received six special achievement awards, and for the second year in a row, the staff received first place in the All New England Class 1 print/ online category.
“This year we had a very talented group of editors and their commitment throughout the school year truly helped elevate our publication. I am very proud of the hard work of every Rebellion Staff member, and the award only further proves how dedicated the students have been this year,” said Mr. Conor Cashman, adviser for the Rebellion.
Due to the size of Walpole High School (more than 1,000 students,) the Rebellion was placed into the Class I category. Having received a Highest Achievement rating in Scholastic Publishing and Editing, the Rebellion was eligible to earn first, second and third place All New England Certificates. The New England Scholastic Press Association honored the staff of the Rebellion for their outstanding efforts in school media by giving them one of the most prestigious awards: First Place in all of New England.
Judges from the Boston University College of Communication assess entries from schools all over the New England Area. For the 2013-2014 school year, seven Walpole journalism students were distinguished by NESPA for their individual work in school media. For Special Achievement Awards, senior Editor-in-Chief Hannah McLaughlin was recognized for excellence in two of her articles written this year: “Parents vs. Programmers of GTA V” and “Spike Jonze awes audiences.” In her editorial regarding the video game, Grand Theft Auto V, McLaughlin criticizes parents who complain about the violent and controversial game, yet are the ones who continue to purchase it for their children. Emphasizing her stance on the issue, she aims to highlight how society has led to adolescents’ corruption—not the video game. Additionally, in her impressive review of Spike Jonze’s film, Her, McLaughlin argues that despite a bizarre plot and unusual aura, the movie is simply fantastic.
Along with McLaughlin, senior Editor-in-Chief, Pete Hoegler, was honored for his sports article, “Boys soccer makes improbable state championship run,” in which he takes readers on the boys’ soccer team’s journey to the state championship this past fall. As his third award in his high school career, Hoegler said, “I am proud that my efforts have been recognized, but I can honestly say my success is due to the help and guidance of Mr. Cashman over the past three years.”
Senior Mackenzie Wilson’s “Cross Country newcomer Allie Morris breaks school course record,” an article detailing the accomplishments of junior Allie Morris in Cross Country, also earned a special achievement award—Wilson’s first award from NESPA in her journalism career.
Additionally, senior Editor-in-Chief Matt Brownsword’s sports article, “Porkers take first State Championship since 2006” received a special achievement award. Illustrating the dramatic State Championship victory for the field hockey team this season, Brownsword thoroughly captivates readers through his enticing writing.
“Although I’m honored to receive the award, I could not have done this without the help of Cashman, my fellow staff writers, and any other English teachers I’ve had throughout the years. And also the field hockey girls for winning the state championship. That helped,” said Brownsword.
After countless hours—both in and out of school—perfecting the Rebellion’s online home page, junior Annie Gallivan, freshman Rory Mulligan and junior Bryan Kelleher were honored with the Best Home Page Award at the conference. This year, they have focused on entirely redesigning the website, so that viewers have the ability to see twitter and instagram updates, as well as previews for the most recent articles and blogs.
“It took a lot of time and effort to create the homepage we were looking for. Earning the award was very satisfying: it guaranteed that all of our hard work finally paid off,” said junior Annie Gallivan.
With the Rebellion’s number of online viewers and followers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram increasing this year, their publication continues to gain more prominence in the Walpole community.
“We can say confidently that we accomplished big things this year because not only did we receive a lot of special achievement awards,” said Hoegler. “But also first place in the All New England Class 1 print/online category —all objectives we aim to reach every year.”
