Best of Best of SNO: End of Year Edition

Wow, SNO community! You all brought it in a HUGE way this school year.

This was definitely one of the strongest years in Best of SNO history, both in terms of quality and the number of submissions.

As always, Best of SNO competition is tough! It appears we will end the year with a 15% publication rate. Want some tips on what our reviewers look for? We’ve got you covered here.

Here are a few other notable stats* as we approach the end of this year’s submission window:

• Over 16,400 submissions received (over 1,000 more than last year!)

• Over 590 schools participated (over 50 more than last year!)

• Over 2,400 articles, videos, podcasts and photo essays published (over 500 more than last year!)

• 351 Excellence in Writing badges awarded to schools published at least once on BestofSNO.com.

Here are a few of the SNO Patrol’s favorite stories from the past school year:

Our Favorite Piece of Timely Coverage

Bus route canceled due to driver shortage by the Purbalite Staff, Baldwin High School

Our Favorite Sports Feature

Athletes run down the clock against climate change by Tiffany Zhu and Claire Zhao, The Harker School

Our Favorite Coverage about Teacher Shortages

The Educator Exodus by Minsong Ha, Zakareya Hamed, Nimera Shanil, Allie Deutsch, and Sakura Mogami, McLean High School

Our Favorite Tech Story

1-2-3, eyes on me by Celia Sadewasser and Shanza Sami, Iowa City West High School

Our Favorite Follow-Up Story

Moving forward by Olivia Evans, Hebron High School

Our Favorite In-Depth Story

In-Depth: Piling Up by Willem Hummel and David Moss, Marquette High School

Our Favorite Community Story

Priced out of the playground by Manas Borra, Coppell High School

Our Favorite Academics Story

A 1 to 1 teacher to student ratio by Lilly Wu and Olivia Yuan, Lynbrook High School

Our Favorite Editorial

Editorial: We’re living in a drought of truth. It needs to end. by the 23-24 Editorial Board, Archer School for Girls

Our Favorite College Story

Sitting with the silence by Soraya Keiser and Alyssa Malyon, Bethel University

Our Favorite Video

Pickleball: Bringing People of Different Ages Together by Henry Leins and Vicent Wong, Palo Alto High School – In Focus TV

Our Favorite Podcast

How digital footprint affects Gen Z by Rikka Dimalanta and Jenny Marquez, Daniel Pearl Magnet High School

Our Favorite Photo Essay

Seniors celebrate final day of high school by Sami Moesch, West Chicago Community High School

Coolest Celebrity Connection

GRC graduate to rock Thanksgiving halftime show with Dolly Parton by Emmie Rose, George Rogers Clark High School

Story that Made the SNO Patrol Feel Nostalgic

Rewinding into the past: the last standing Captain Video store remains open by Nicholas Lee, Carlmont High School

Our Favorite Incorporation of Taylor Swift Lyrics

ESPN, You need to calm down by Gourav Pany, Center Grove High School

Student Journalism Causing Change

Fighting for our rights: Gaggle & USD 497 by Natasha Torkzaban, Morgan Salisbury, Maya Smith, and Jack Tell, Lawrence High School

People’s Choice – Highest Number of Story Views from this School Year According to Analytics

Matthew Gray Gubler’s “Big Green Hand, Small Town Tour” by Violet Gude, Las Vegas Academy of the Arts

Whether your staff submitted one or 180 pieces for consideration, we wouldn’t have Best of SNO without the awesome SNO community. Thanks for participating, and we hope to see more of your work next year!