Another year has flown by and we take a moment to look back
and reflect on the changes that have taken place. It was a big
year in the news world -- losing ourselves in the Clinton-Lewinsky
saga, and keeping up to date on the devastating Kosovo crisis.
The school shootings in Littleton, Colorado; Taber, Alberta;
and Atlanta, Georgia have shocked us all and we mourned with
the families who have lost students they love. John Glen returned
to space last October as the oldest man ever to complete this
mission.
SNN has had a few "lift-offs" of its own this year,
although not into outer space. Two Webcasts were broadcast, one
from Nunavat
in April and the other from Corner Brook, Newfoundland during
the Canada Winter
Games in February. Kelly
Boyes, a student at GVC in Manitoba, managed to have her
SNN sports article linked to the TSN webpage.
SNN has represented schools from across Canada. Amber Zirnhelt
of Columneetza Senior Secondary in Williams Lake, B.C. has had
several articles published, including an excellent look at time
management and how students can keep their daily priorities straight.
Chad Anderson, of Savanna School in Spirit River, Alberta, offered
an interesting opinion article on "practical" tear-away
pants. From Ontario, Geoffrey Legault of Woodlands Public School
promoted Alta Vista's new search engine last October. For sports,
Reg Froese in Manitoba told of his crushing experience of being
injured before the "Big Game."
In August, SNN received two opposing views on the movie "Saving
Private Ryan," both from students attending Roncalli Central
High in Port Saunders, Newfoundland. Judy Symes and Erika Lavers
didn't exactly see "eye-to-eye"on that one. Also from
Newfoundland came a profile of women in the media and how it
effects those who look up to them. Jillian Freeman of I. J. Samson
Jr. High in St. John's did a wonderful job of researching her
topics.
These are only a few examples of what one can experience and
discover as an SNN writer and reader. SNN looks forward to more
contributions from these and other students across the country
in the year ahead.
Meanwhile, SNN and RDR were big winners at this year's AMTEC
Media Festival, held in Ottawa earlier this month. Each year,
the Association for Media and Technology in Education in Canada
asks for submissions from students, educators, technology companies
and groups who produce educational Websites, CD-Roms, and videos.
SNN/RDR won the Award of Excellence in its category -- interactive
and instructional material produced by the government, commercial
or industrial sector. In addition, the program was awarded the
Canadian Education Association Achievement Award for the outstanding
media program of the AMTEC Media Festival.
I hope all of our readers return to SNN for youth-oriented
news in the fall and I look forward again to working with my
fellow SNN writers. |