The SNO Report: Commemorating an Anniversary

We’re kind of in a celebratory mood lately. It’s the holiday season! Elf is on TV, like, every night!

So, speaking of celebrating, we wondered what publication staffs do to commemorate a special milestone or anniversary, for their school or publication. So, we asked a few of you, because the first thing you did was to make it extremely obvious with a customized header at the top of your websites — which is super cool.

For the staff of Pathfinder, at Parkway West High School (Ballwin, Mo.), the work started this summer, ahead of West’s 50th school year.

Adviser Debra Klevens said her students began interviewing West alumni for a series of “Alumni Stories” they’d publish throughout the year.

“It has been a popular way to engage our audience and get alumni to read our paper as well,” Klevens said.

So far, the Pathfinder staff has published 19 such stories since Sept. 1. Read and follow their ongoing series here.

The Kirkwood Call, at Kirkwood (Mo.) High School, is celebrating an even more personal anniversary — 100 years of publication.

“This means a variety of things, but, most importantly, signifies students using their First Amendment rights to free speech and the press,” said Hannah Cohen, editor-in-chief of The Kirkwood Call. “For 100 years, TKC has continuously executed work that impacts our community both inside and out, from printing a Planned Parenthood ad to light-hearted quizzes telling you which KHS teacher would be your best friend.”

In November, the staff published a “Where Are They Now” issue (viewable as a PDF here), which Cohen likened to Sports Illustrated’s annual issue of the same name, “but instead (of athletes) we did it with KHS alumni and got to hear their stories and journeys beyond KHS,” Cohen said.

They have published 16 stories online. Read the series here.

The staff of BVNWnews, at Blue Valley Northwest High School (Overland Park, Kan.), is preparing for a second-semester push to commemorate the combined 25-year anniversary of the school, newspaper and yearbook.

“We are celebrating 25 years of informing, entertaining and educating,” publications adviser Jim McCrossen said.

So far, the publication’s header image is used to commemorate the anniversary. After the holiday break, McCrossen said the staff will be taking a look back at 25 years of covering the news at Blue Valley Northwest, publishing stories, photos, videos and some of the bigger news items from the archives.