R.M.H.S. newspaper wins Gallup, lauded by judges
The Pacer, the school newspaper at Rolling Meadows High School, has received the prestigious George Gallup Award, presented by the Quill and Scroll International Honorary Society for High School Journalists.
This marks the second consecutive year The Pacer has won a Gallup Award. The awards recognize scholastic journalism excellence by critiquing high school newspapers on their coverage of school life, external news, writing and editing, news, sports and feature writing.
The Pacer was cited for its coverage of external affairs, which was deemed by the judge, “by far the BEST I have ever seen.” The paper received similar praise for editing. The judge noted that The Pacer writers clearly understand “how to” choose and write about newsworthy topics. “They also understand what it takes to write clean, readable copy.”
In terms of overall reporting, the judge said, “the news stories in The Pacer show journalistic writing at its finest. Brevity, unity, and coherence are strengths in all of the news stories.”
The Pacer was also lauded for overall appearance. “One of the main reasons The Pacer makes such a good first impression is its clean, reader-friendly layout,” the judge wrote. “All page components (i.e., pictures, headlines, creative fonts, graphics, and white space) work in harmony to produce a newspaper that people want to read.”
In summarizing the evaluation, the judge said, “Bravo! The superior quality — in every area — that is evident in each issue makes The Pacer an elite high school publication. Solid writing skills (grammar, use of inverted pyramid, brevity, unity, etc.) are complemented by conscientious editing. It's obvious that a great deal of time and effort go into producing each issue. … Finally, The Pacer clearly reveals what Harvey Firestone meant when he said, ‘I'm proud of what I've accomplished, but I'm never satisfied.' Harvey Firestone was a very successful businessman for the same reason you are a nationally acclaimed newspaper: The Pacer is constantly seeking ways to make great even greater.”
The Pacer is produced by the journalism classes at Rolling Meadows High School. It is advised by Stan Zoller, of Buffalo Grove. Zoller is also Illinois state director for the Journalism Education Association.