Feature photo by: Meaghan Carabello – The Raider Review staff enjoys a class BBQ at teacher Zeb Carabello’s house. The Raider Review collectively won 14 Colorado Student Media Association “Best of Colorado” awards that praise and reward high school media publications.
As news and journalism continue to gain attention in light of Trump’s “fake news” outbursts via Twitter, many high school media programs have had to work extra hard to make sure a new generation of journalists doesn’t believe all of the negative rhetoric about the journalism profession expressed by many current politicians. In Colorado, students are able to speak their mind and inform the community of relevant news thanks to the Colorado Student Free Expression Law, a right not afforded to student journalists in the vast majority of states.
The Colorado Student Free Expression Law states that students of public schools are awarded the right to exercise their freedom of speech and press rights. This restricts school or district staff members from stopping students from posting or releasing a story or news reports they choose to cover, and this is a law The Raider Review has tried hard to honor in its reporting on everything RHS, and what some say is one reason why the Rangeview publication won the most website awards in the state of Colorado for the 2017-18 year, the publication’s second year in a row pulling in the most awards from The Colorado Student Media Association “Best of Colorado” awards.
Four year Review member and 2017-18 co editor-in-chief Vanessa Guereca said, “from being a simple news reporter to slowly working my way to co editor-in-chief, winning the CSMA awards I won this year were big milestones in my journalism career. I’m so thankful for the staff and Mr. Carabello.”
Rangeview tallied a whopping 14 awards in the 2017-18 school year, which was the most awards won by one school. This number comes close to their 16 awards from last year which collectively was the most from one school as well. In the 2013-14 school year they won no awards. In the 2014-15 school year they won their first awards, and totaled four of them. A year later they won two more awards to total up to six awards in the 2015-16 school year.
“I feel very proud of the staff. They’ve worked really hard to be recognized as the best in the state. We don’t do it for awards but it always feels nice to be respected for what you do,” said Zeb Carabello, the advisor and teacher of The Review. “This is a very strong group of seniors, and they will be missed. They’ve given a lot back to Rangeview.”
Not only does this journalism staff excel in their perspective desks in journalism, but the 29 total members pulled together 18 Rangeview Academic Awards. As 17 seniors get ready to depart, many say the legacy the Raider Review will and has left behind will be remembered and acknowledged for years to come.
For specifics and exact award details, click here.
Curios regarding facts on the Colorado Student Free Expression Law? Click here.