Once an issue hits the press and has been distributed throughout the school, the newspaper staff quickly gets back to work and begins planning the next month’s paper. Arguably, the most tedious and controversial task is choosing the student who will be featured in the Spotlight story on the back cover.
Writers, cartoonists, and photographers are pitted against each other trying to prove why his or her person of choice should be highlighted. The fact that it is so hard to come to a consensus shows just how much talent and creativity is hidden throughout the school.
But at the same time, it presents a major flaw on the school’s behalf. Despite the news that is consistently revealed to the school, there are numerous achievements that still go unheard of and students do not get the recognition they deserve.
Aside from some minor errors in coverage, the school does a decent job of recognizing its athletes, teams, and theater and music groups. For those who listen to the announcements, they provide enough information for students to get a general feel for what has been happening around campus. However, there is much more to teenagers than what takes place on school premises.
The school fails miserably to shed light on the extracurricular activities that students are involved in. Whether it be in additional academics, club sports, community organizations, or volunteer work, there is more to these kids than what simply occurs at Parkway Central. It is disappointing that they are not properly acknowledged for their actions.
As a point of reference, senior Joel Sher was named one of 60 Regional Finalists for the 2011-12 Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology on Oct. 21. However, it was not until three weeks ago that a banner was hung near the vending machines to congratulate Sher for his accomplishments.
It took a whole five months for any sort of publicity about Sher’s greatness to be released. Even then, few know the person being recognized for the award. It is understandable that the daily announcements do not have enough space to include news about Sher, but the fact that he was never once briefly mentioned is disappointing.
Since the daily announcements do not supply detailed insight into the lives of students, that has become the overall goal with the new Spotlight section in the newspaper. Even though every student cannot be covered in every issue, it has been one method to credit students for what they have done outside of school.
Furthermore, with the new launch of The Corral’s website, more frequent stories allow the staff to draw attention to a greater number of scholars and their accomplishments.
The newspaper will continue to pull its weight and hold itself accountable for giving credit to student achievements. Meanwhile, the administration must also make it a priority to find better ways to get the word out about students’ feats.
