For our final Distinguished Site report, we’re broadening it out a bit. We��consider��this last set of ideas��“cherries on top” – not only are they solid suggestions for pursuing badges and/or Distinguished Sites, but they’re also just generally fantastic tips for any publication.

• Get unique with your coverage.��“We have block scheduling two days a week, and on those days, we have two students ‘on call.’ When they come to class, the editor gives them a story assignment (or a few to choose from) and they have until the end of the block period to report, write, edit and publish the story with a minimum of three sources and original art. This has helped increase our regular coverage and has helped the staff keep up with timely coverage topics.” – Emily Jorgenson ()

• Use feedback to your advantage.��“We met with a lot of rejection, but took the feedback and made the necessary adjustments each time. This was a process, and it was helpful for students to see feedback in an authentic way.” – Cara Quinn ()

• Intentionally grow your online audience.��“[W]e create an IG Story and a tweet for every story, podcast, video story etc. we post on our [page], with a link to each one … This gets us page views on the website and also more students interested in joining the newspaper.” – Keith Harrison ()

• Incorporate more original photos/artwork.��“Make sure to have good photography and original artwork. Pictures draw people into the site. So have your best photos as your featured images and limit Canva created featured images. Find kids who are good on the ipad with Procreate and get them involved. Another way to get kids into your program. There are amazing artists in your school.” – Jonathan Hall ()

• Celebrate your successes.��“Celebrations are a huge part of accomplishing a badge too, so we get the Principal, Superintendent and HS staff on board with our goals and when we achieve them. They help cheer us on and celebrate us!” – Heather Hunkele ()

As we’ve done throughout the week, we’re closing out our final Distinguished Sites report with a reminder of the “why” behind the��program.

• “The best tip I have is remember this is a journey and not a race. Your staff has to develop [a] sense of perseverance and understand that not everything submitted is accepted. This is also a great chance to reflect on current criteria for publication on your site…” – Kristi Studts ()

Wherever you and your staff are in your badge��journey, we hope you’ve found this week’s tips and insights helpful.

Distinguished Site badge submissions, including��, are open through May 31.

Today, we’re shifting gears, highlighting a few student editors who shared some insights about leading their staffs to becoming Distinguished Sites.

Much like many of the advisers, the students stressed the importance of getting staff organized and clearly communicating expectations.

Grace Miller, editor-in-chief of����at Cannon Falls High School, recommended��setting a frame of reference early on.

“Start the year with a cohesive plan for earning the badges,” Grace Miller said.

Similarly, Kacey Miller, editor-in-chief of Cedar Park High School’s��, ensures everyone on staff knows their Distinguished Site badge goals as well as their roles in fulfilling them.

“One of the biggest things that helped my staff work to receive the badge was a thorough understanding of the rules for each badge. Explaining to them the type of guidelines that are expected to be followed to be able to meet the publication requirements was important because it allowed for everyone to feel that they were doing the right thing with their work and contributing to the site,” Kacey Miller said.

The student editors seemed to agree��that intentionality and badge delegation��were both��important parts of the process. Web Editor-in-Chief of West Linn High School’s��, Joseph Murphy, emphasized this when discussing how his staff balanced their pursuit of the badges.

“I think the most important part of the process is making sure our brainstorms are deliberate, making sure we are assigning stories that could have a different story page format, and making sure we are delegating work in the multimedia area,” Murphy said.

As far as persevering��through the process,��both Grace Miller and Kacey Miller had helpful suggestions. According to Kacey, it’s all about spending time learning the ins and outs of the site, particularly the design features, even if they may feel intimidating. For Grace, having a designated person “who is familiar with the site and willing to explore and troubleshoot” is key.

Ultimately,��it was clear that persistence��and staff empowerment were necessary in achieving��Distinguished Site status.

“I just had to trust others. At some points, it was hard because I did put a lot of time into putting forth a plan, but it works. We got the Audience Engagement mostly because our social media editor was on top of it and I didn’t have to do much with that. We also got Excellence in Writing because everyone made good edits on the article … Not a very technical point but trust has helped me and the staff!” Murphy said.

We’d like to extend a special thank you to these student editors for sharing their thoughts with us. As��we’ve done every day this week, we’re concluding this report with a reminder of the “why” behind the Distinguished Sites program. Fitting for today, this one is all about the students.

• “Allow the classroom to operate like a newsroom; students are at the heart of student journalism, therefore let them create an environment to be accountable for their work.” – Yiu Hung Li ()

Stay tuned for our fourth and final Distinguished Site badge tips report coming your way tomorrow!

Yesterday, we talked��. Today, we’re focusing on��the badges themselves. Whether you want to earn one or two before the year’s up or achieve all six and become a ������ Distinguished Site, check out a few pointers from our Distinguished Site advisers below.

• Best of ������:��“…I would say to submit to Best of ������ often, but only do so with quality contenders: we looked at and analyzed other schools’ winning pieces to better understand what ������ is looking for in terms of content.” – Leslie Fireman ()

• Audience Engagement:��“…I already have two students dedicated to social media coverage, so they worked to make sure they had a plan for every day of the month….They planned ahead and designed posts and even scheduled them sometimes.” – Julieanne McClain ()

• Multimedia:��“For most staffs, the Multimedia badge is the hardest. Work multimedia coverage into your normal routine. Whether it’s a couple of people or the whole staff, there should be people creating��,��,����for your publication throughout the year, not just for badge submission time…” – Brit Taylor ()

• Story Page Excellence:��“Assign two students the job of master builder. They are responsible for learning about the different ways to build stories. Then have them work with people on picking the build that best enhances their story. Essentially, they will train everyone else on creative builds. Also show them how the Best of ������ recipients usually have creative and engaging builds–it’s part of good storytelling.” – Mary Long ()

• Continuous Coverage:��“…we created a giant chart/spreadsheet on the white board of our publications lab with each section of our website (news, features, etc) and 5 weeks at the top. We planned for a story in each box (one story per section per week). We planned for more than 4 sections and more than 4 weeks so that in case something fell through, it didn’t ruin the entire plan. That gave us a Plan B (and a Plan C) if we needed it.” – Julieanne McClain ()

• Site Excellence:��“Our editors have found the����and accompanying videos to be a huge help in this area.” – Keith Harrison ()

As we mentioned in yesterday’s report, we think an important part of the��process is remembering the��“why.” Earning badges is fun, but ultimately we hope that in doing so,��your online publication will improve.

• “It isn’t easy to become a ������ Distinguished Site. In fact, the process of becoming a ������ Distinguished Site can be time consuming and frustrating, especially when a badge submission is rejected. HOWEVER, the SNO Distinguished Site program absolutely has made Wingspan a better site as it has forced us to evaluate our current practices while at the same time leading us to try different things and take advantage of the options offered by ������.” – Brian Higgins ()

Looking for��more badge-specific guidance? Check out our����for a breakdown of each badge.

We recently reached out to advisers whose publications have already earned Distinguished Site status this year for��suggestions and insights about the process, and boy did they deliver! We’ll be sharing their ideas in multiple batches throughout this week.

Let’s kick things off with��organization. If you and your staff are on a quest to earn badges (or to����as a ������ Distinguished Site), you’ll need a solid game plan to get it done. Here’s what our Distinguished Sites advisers had to say.

• Make it intentional.��“[T]he biggest things we do to get the Distinguished Site Award is to focus our time and energy directly on those badge requirements. It has to be an intentional effort.” – Michael Reeves ()

• Don’t feel obligated to reinvent the wheel.��“We brainstorm together and find stories that we would normally cover that would also fit within each [badge] category.” – Rachel Hurlimann ()

• Delegate, delegate, delegate…��“Basically, one leader on staff claims the responsibility for each badge and/or section of each badge. Each leader can delegate and/or get all of the help they each need to achieve the assigned badge. But, one or two people oversee and report daily on the progress of each badge and/or each badge section until the badge is earned.” – Lisa Roskens ()

• …and then trust in that delegation.��“Create teams to focus on different badges. Each badge doesn’t need to be a whole team effort. Trust your students to learn the requirements of each badge and allow them to manage their progress.” – Brian Smith ()

• Check your progress regularly.��“All newsrooms become chaotic, so it’s easy to forget the goals you’ve set. We have found it helpful to assign ‘badge management’ to a student or two. Those students keep our goals at the forefront during pitch and planning days. If we know we need to use a new story format or we need quick coverage of an event, those students help to ensure we are assigning such tasks in planning.” – Maureen Dyer ()

However you and your staff choose to coordinate your efforts, we hope you’ll always remember your “why” in pursuing the Distinguished Sites badges –��to help your publication excel online.��Many advisers echoed this in their responses to us, so we’ll be sharing their reminders at the end of each report this week.

• “At the end of the day, trying to achieve Distinguished Site status forces your students to create good journalism. It will make your programs better.” – Mary Long ()

Now go get your staff organized and check back tomorrow for more Distinguished Site tips!

Congratulations to all of the Online Pacemaker winners! We are incredibly proud of them. In alphabetical order by site title, the winners are:

• , Hagerty High School, Oviedo, Florida

• , Coppell High School, Coppell, Texas

• , Foothill Technology High School, Ventura, California

• , Legacy High School, Mansfield, Texas

• , St. Paul Academy and Summit School, St. Paul, Minnesota

• , Carlmont High School, Belmont, California

• , Southwest Career and Technical Academy, Las Vegas, Nevada

• , University of Chicago Laboratory High School, Chicago, Illinois

• , Wayland High School, Wayland, Massachusetts

• , West Chicago Community High School, West Chicago, Illinois

• , Liberty High School, Frisco, Texas

Congratulations again to the Online Pacemaker winning advisers and staffs!

To stave off the spring slump, here’s a giant (and random) list of ideas our ������ staff loves that might spark a little inspiration. We can’t motivate your staff for you, but maybe a little bit of peer pressure will help!

1. This creative use of the����format (with additional customization) to elevate a��cookie review��

• ��(St. Paul Academy and Summit��School)��

2. This (or that) fun topic idea for a new������

• ��(Southwest Career & Technical Academy)

3. The��clickable��photo next to this site’s��Sports Score Carousel��that links out to their����page

• ��(Brimmer and May School)

4. These awesome seasonal����

• ��(Iowa City West High School)
• ��(Inlet Grove High School)��
• ��(Pleasant Valley High School)

5. Using a����as a featured image in combination with one of our immersive templates��

• ��(Carlmont High School)

6. These visually striking image comparisons created using Knight Lab’s����tool��

• ��(Van Nuys High School)

7. This fun category idea to highlight all your publication’s awesome photos (and photographers)��

• ��(McCallum High School)

8. The��inclusion of a��Senior Spotlights display on this site��

• ��(Brunswick High School)

9. This great example of our newest ������ Story Element, the����

• ��(Foothill Technology High School)

10. The subtle use of our����option on this site’s internal pages (click on a tab in their menu to see)����

• ��(Community High School)

11. This site’s��use of dual����in the header – a Menu Bar��to display the major categories, and a Hamburger Menu to display additional pages like SNO, Staff, etc.��

• ��(Los Alamitos High School)

12. And lastly, in the spirit of this list, the random article generator button at the top of this site��

• ��(The Masters School)

One thing we see regularly among submissions is staffs wanting to cover major national or international news. If your staff wants to pursue these kind of stories (and have them considered for Best of ������ publication), here are two things to keep in mind:

1.��Make sure that you have a strong local connection.��If you are not near the event being reported, your school or community needs to have some sort of connection that allows you to report on the broader topic in the background while keeping the focus on what is happening locally. Check out a few examples below.

��by Reese Duncan, Lincoln High School��

In this piece, the Lincoln High School staff managed to link to information about the war in Gaza, but kept their main focus on a fundraiser being done by a business in their community.

��by Abigail Kapur, Dougherty Valley High School��

Dougherty Valley High School didn’t necessarily mention the national teacher shortage in this story, but instead focused on that problem at their district and how they are trying to find a solution.

2.��Send reporters into the field to cover national stories and how they are impacting your community.��With 2024 being a presidential election year, there will be ample opportunities to cover political events in or near your school. For non-election coverage, keep your eye out for how major national stories (wars, immigration, technology changes, etc.) are present in your school’s community.

��by Rohin Shah and Cherish Curtis, The Latin School of Chicago��

The Latin School of Chicago sent reporters to talk with migrants who found themselves in downtown Chicago. They provided a lot of information about the broader topic via links, but kept their reporting on interviews they conducted with individuals.

��by Nyah Rama, Coppell High School��

With the Presidential primary in full swing, it is going to be a great opportunity for your staff to go and see or hear the candidates, or their surrogates, live. Coppell High School attended a rally where they were able to talk to voters and quote the (former) candidate in their story.

All of these stories involved the staff going out in the field and talking to multiple individuals. That is the type of coverage Best of ������ is looking for regarding national or international issues.

Have a great spring, and keep those stories coming!

Thirty-four of the����Gold Crown winners for digital or hybrid categories are part of the SNO network. The awards were announced at CSPA’s Spring Convention on March 15, 2023.

We’re incredibly proud of these outstanding programs! They are listed below.

College Yearbook Hybrid News��

• , Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY

High School Hybrid General Magazine��

• , Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, CA

• , duPont Manual High School, Louisville, KY

• , Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, CA

• , Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, CA

High School Hybrid Literary Magazine����

• , Westwood High School, Austin, TX

High School Digital News

• , Prosper High School, Prosper, TX

• , Carmel High School, Carmel, IN

• , Altoona Area High School, Altoona, PA

• , Southwest Career and Technical Academy, Las Vegas, NV

• , Brimmer and May School, Newton, MA

• , La Salle Catholic College Preparatory, Milwaukie, OR

• , The Archer School for Girls, Los Angeles, CA

• , Legacy High School, Mansfield, TX

• , Wayland High School, Wayland, MA

• , Liberty High School, Liberty, TX

High School Hybrid News

• , Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, FL

• , Monta Vista High School, Palo Alto, CA

• , Kingwood Park High School, Kingwood, TX

• , Francis Howell North High School, Saint Charles, MO

• , Shalhevet High School, Los Angeles, CA

• , Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, CA

• , Algonquin Regional High School, Northborough, MA

• , McLean High School, McLean, VA

• , Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, Rockville, MD

• , Marquette High School, Chesterfield, MO

• , Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, West Palm Beach, FL

• , St. John’s School, Houston, TX

• , St. Paul Academy and Summit School, Saint Paul, MN

• , McCallum High School, Austin, TX

• , Midtown High School, Atlanta, GA

• , The American School in London, London, United Kingdom

• , Texas High School, Texarkana, TX

• , University of Chicago Laboratory High School, Chicago, IL

��to view a list of all Gold and Silver Crown recipients.

The sky’s the limit when it comes to interpreting all that data, but if boosting site traffic is your goal, here are a few suggestions to get you started.

1. Story Views��– Which stories are generating the most views, and what do they have in common? Maybe it’s��, interactive elements like��, or just more mentions of students at your school. Whatever it is, try to emulate it in your other stories.

2. Bounce Rate��– Bounce rate refers to the percentage of site visitors who view only one page before leaving, so aim to keep it as low as possible. Try to decrease it by encouraging��visitors to click through to other site content. Use one of the����(and make sure you have����in the sidebar), or consider a����or���������� Story element��to make more content readily accessible (and clickable) as visitors interact with��your stories.

3. Acquisition��– Note which method of acquisition is most popular, and aim to��boost the others. For example, ask the school to share a link to your site on the school website to improve referral traffic, or share links to new stories on social media to increase organic social traffic. The more ways people are getting to your site, the better.

4. Retention��– Aim to increase the number of repeat site visitors. Our biggest suggestion is publishing content at established intervals to keep people to regularly returning. You can get creative here, or����we shared earlier this year to generate some ideas.

5. Tech��– Which��devices are people using to view your site? If you have a lot of mobile users (we’re guessing you probably do), make sure your site’s����looks the way you want��or consider adding the����to your account to drive even more mobile traffic.

Most importantly, we hope you and your staff will take time to reflect on what you found when exploring your analytics. Celebrate your strengths, make an action plan to address any weaknesses, and set some goals for the future.